Former Nigeria international Celestine Babayaro has praised the Super Eagles style of play under new manager Gernot Rohr saying it is provoking memories of the glory days of Nigerian football.

Since his employment as coach of Nigeria, the Franco-German coach has won all three games he has handled as coach, starting from the 1-0 win over Tanzania to the 2-1 and 3-1 win over Zambia and Algeria respectively.

Babayaro in an exclusive chat with Owngoalnigeria.com said the success of Rohr in the three games he has handled has proven right, the assertions that foreign coaches are the best for Nigeria.

” The performances of the team under Rohr is a strong proof that foreign coaches work best for Nigeria. There’s an identity to the team and how they play. It’s like watching the 94 Eagles all over again”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” It is not rocket science but the team has evolved under him. They play with a whole lot of confidence and above all defensively they have the mentality of the German defence. Very mean”.

Leicester City star forward Riyad Mahrez says Nigerian 20 year old midfielder cum forward Oghenekaro Etebo played a big role in stifling the game plans of the Foxes of Algeria, in the 3-1 loss to Nigeria.

Etebo who is predominately a forward was played in the midfield by coach Gernot Rohr as part of a three man midfield alongside John Obi Mikel and Eddy Onazi.

That masterstroke by Rohr has earned praises from Mahrez, who particularly pointed out that Etebo covered lot of grounds defensively and offensively which denied them space to play to their potential.

” That Number 20 (Etebo) was everywhere, he did a lot for his team in both areas of the pitch. He was always near whoever is on the ball, he did very well” Mahrez said to the press in Algeria.

” We lost to a better team, Nigeria deserves to win. We didn’t defend properly against a team that is known for their attacking potentials. We are still confident of qualifying though”.

Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun has placed a seal of approval on the nickname given to his formidable central defence partnership with William Troost Ekong.

The duo are the favourite central defence pair of Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, and after another commanding display against Algeria, most Nigerians have now endorse the duo as the main men in defence for Nigeria.

Balogun and Ekong were both born abroad to Nigerian parents in Germany and Holland respectively but choose to play for Nigeria ahead of their country of birth but the colour of their skin has earned them a nickname.

Teammates call them “Oyibo”, which is a term in the Nigeria local language pidgin for fair skinned people especially foreigners or half caste.

Mainz 05 defender Balogun took to twitter to comment on a post from Ekong congratulating his “Oyibo partner” for a job well done by terming their partnership as “Oyibo Wall”.

Nigeria Rio 2016 defender Saturday Keigo Erimuya has agreed a deal in principle to join Spanish second division side Cadiz, when the transfer window reopens in January.

The 18 year old terminated his contract with Turkish side Kayseri Erciyesspor following the team’s relegation to the third division, clearing the path for him to join the Spanish side where he has been on trials for some days.

Saturday made just one appearance for Nigeria at the Olympics, playing in the bronze medal tie against Honduras as coach Samson Siasia stuck with Sincere Seth and William Troost Ekong in central defence.

Former Golden Eaglet forward Kabiru Akinsola was the last known Nigerian to have played for Cadiz, scoring 13 goals in the 2011-2012 season after joining them on loan to Granada.

Super Eagles reserve shot stopper Ikechukwu Ezenwa was heavily linked with a move to the Spanish side in January but the move broke down due to discrepancies in wages.

Kano Pillars forward Prince Aggreh will leave for Israel this week for trials with Isreali top division side Bnei Yehuda according to reports exclusively gathered by Owngoalnigeria.com.

Aggreh is expected to get his visa from the Israeli embassy in Abuja later today and barring any hitches he could leave for Israel before the end of the week.

A member of the Nigeria home based team to the last CHAN championship, he was one of the few bright spots for Kano Pillars, who had a disappointing last season judging by their standards.

His move to Norwegian side Stabaek IF frll through in August due to disagreement over wages and transfer fee according to sources close to the forward.

Comfortable on either flanks or as a top striker, if he passes the trials with Bnei Yehuda, he will be hoping to emulate the success story of other Nigerians who have played for the team in the past.

Goalkepper Vincent Enyeama had a short spell at Bnei Yehuda and after his departure Dele Aiyenugba replaced him as the team’s shot stopper and spent 10 years at the club, while last season they had Jude Nworuh on their books.

Coach of the Nigeria national team Gernot Rohr has given a fresh angle to his statement on the lack of playing time John Mikel Obi is experiencing at Chelsea.

Rohr while speaking on the captain lack of game time during the Super Eagles presser ahead of the tie against Algeria, Said that the 29 year old is being punished by coach Antonio Conte for his participation at the Rio 2016 Olympics.n

The coach said he was quoted out of context although he did admit to using the word punish when describing the reason why Mikel is frozen out of the first team picture at Chelsea.

“I was quoted out of context. Perhaps the word ‘punish’ might have come too strongly. But I meant it in a larger sense of the price he is paying for his participation in the Olympics’.

‘What I was trying to say was that we should all acknowledge the commitment of the team captain to the national team and the price that he might have had to pay, missing action for his club in the time he was in the Olympics’

Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel says he is not been frozen out of the first team picture at Chelsea, due to his participation at the Olympics as suggested by the coach of the Nigeria national team Gernot Rohr.

In a statement on his various official social media handle, the 29 year old said Chelsea manager Antonio Conte gave him his blessings before he went to the Olympics in Rio, and defended Rohr over his statement.

He believed the manager statement was misinterpreted by the media in Nigeria, as the Franco-German manager has deficiencies when it comes to making a point using english language.

See Statement Below:

Former Chelsea defender Celestine Babayaro says judging by John Obi Mikel performance for Nigeria yesterday against Algeria, he could be the difference for Chelsea in the race to win the English Premier League.

Mikel was on target in the 3-1 win secured by Nigeria over Algeria, but aside his goal, Babayaro rates his performance as one of the best he has seen of him in recent time.

Babayaro in a chat with Owngoalnigeria.com said, the 29 year old showed his wealth of experience and class playing in an advanced midfield role for Nigeria, which could aid Chelsea as the season wears on.

” He is at that age when nothing looks new to him. His confidence on the ball was extraordinary, a true leader on the pitch but have also heard good things about him off the pitch” He told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” The way he has managed to keep himself in top shape despite not playing games for Chelsea in a city like London is a show of his disciplined life style.

” Every team needs a player of his quality, experience and personality. He could be the joker for Chelsea later on in the season. I know he is presently out of the first team picture but there are lot of games left. Mikel could be the difference for Chelsea in the race for the title”.

Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria Gernot Rohr says he wasn’t surprised that Alex Iwobi pulled a rainbow flick in Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Algeria.

Iwobi who started for Nigeria in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers tie showed his deft side by conjuring up a rainbow flick with Nigeria leading Algeria 1-0 in the first half of the encounter.

He stunned the almost filled to capacity Godswill Akpabio nest of champions stadium, but coach Rohr said he wasn’t marvel at the display as he has been told by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger about the abilities of the 20 year old.

” I didn’t see it coming but I wasn’t surprised he (Iwobi) did it. When I met Arsene Wenger last month, we talked about Iwobi and he told me there’s more to his game than what we are seeing at the moment” He told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” He (Iwobi) is a confident lad. He is not afraid to try new tricks in training and games. He can only get better, his best is yet to come”.

The Nigeria female U-20 team suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat in the hands of Japan in their opening game at the ongoing U-20 Women World Cup.

Nigeria went into the break trailing the Japanese 2-0 following goals from Ueno and Momiki.

In the second half, highly rated forward Ueno grabbed her hattrick while Momoiki also bagged a brace with an own goal from Ologbosere compounding the woes of the Nigerian ladies.

The 6-0 thrashing is the heaviest defeat Nigeria have suffered at this level of women football at a major tournament and it leaves them bottom of the group with no point.

They will play Canada in their next game, looking for a result that will erase the pain of the humiliating opening defeat in the hands of Japan.