John Obi Mikel lack of playing time at English Premier League side Chelsea, according to the coach of the Nigeria senior national team Gernot Rohr is based on issues outside football.

Mikel is yet to play a competitive game under coach Antonio Conte this season, which happens to he his 11th at Stamford Brige. A record that makes him the second oldest player in the team bar captain John Terry.

Rohr during the Super Eagles media parley was asked about his opinion on the lack of game time, the captain of the Super Eagles is currently enduring and the Franco German coach who recently went to Chelsea to speak with the team’s hierarchy over Mikel’s situation defended his captain.

” Mikel was punished by Chelsea for playing at the Olympics for Nigeria. The new coach tried convincing him to stay but he went to defend his nation. I cannot punish him for not playing in his club” He said.

On his part Mikel voiced out his unhappiness over his lack of playing time but insist it does happen to players, and he is no exception.

” It’s not a good one but it does happen to players”.

The coach of Algeria national team Georges Leekens says the key to neutralising the threat of the Nigeria going forward is to stop the duo of Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho from getting on the ball.

Leekens said from the past games of the Super Eagles, the players are usually in a hurry to release the ball to the duo of Iheanacho and Iwobi, who are by far the most creative among the Nigerian forwards.

The games he was referring were the 1-0 win over Tanzania and the 2-1 win away over Zambia in Ndola. Games where the duo bailed Nigeria out with crucial goals.

Arsenal forward Iwobi opened scoring in Zambia before Manchester City Iheanacho doubled the Eagles lead, adding to his goal which condemned Tanzania to defeat in Uyo.

” We have found out the two most important players in the Nigeria team Iwobi and Iheanacho, in tight spaces their teammates are always looking for them. They are also good at running behind unnoticed” He told the media in Algeria.

” The key is to deny them access to the ball, as whichever formation Nigeria play, they are key not even their captain Mikel. Stopping Iheanacho and Iwobi will neutralise Nigeria’s complex formation”.

The coach of the Algerian national team Georges Leekens will most likely set his team up in a 4-3-3 formation when they take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria this weekend.

Algeria are under pressure after drawing their first tie at home to Cameroun while Nigeria are currently top of the group owing to their 2-1 win over Zambia in Ndola.

However while the Nigerian team have been lucky with injuries in the build up to the game, same can’t be said about the Algerians who have had to contend with injury forced withdrawal of key players.

The latest casualty is Napoli ace Faouzi Ghoulam, and his absence could see Leekens switch his formation to a 3-4-3 style of play as opposed to his preferred 4-3-3.

Leekens plans to line up Cadamuro, Medjani and Mandi as part of a three man defence with West Ham United Sofiane Feghouli as the right wing back with Spurs loanee Nabil Bentaleb as the left wing back.

In the coming days a clear way of how the team will line up against Nigeria will be known but for now 3-4-3 look like the sure bet for the Algerians.

Owngoalnigeria.com can authoritatively reveal that the Abuja Football Association is currently trying to undermine grass root teams that have earned their spot in the play offs to be promoted to the lowest level of the Nigeria Football League system.

We gathered there is a ploy to favour the football team of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who missed out on making the top four for the play-offs.

Wasco Boys, Medav FC, Super Lions and Police Machine are the four teams in the hat for the play offs but the FA has in the last few days instigated a match fixing charge against Medav FC, a charge lacking in substance.

The FA claimed they have an audio recording of a confession made by a player from the team that were bribed by Medav FC, but when asked to produce it they failed to do so.

Disappointed officials of Medav FC left the meeting with a mindset of a gang up against them by the FA to deny them a spot in the play off which they duly earned.

A member of the FA who spoke to Owngoalnigeria.com confirmed that Medav are a victim of the various power play that is making the body lose relevance and trust from the various football teams in the state.

” This is not the first time, we have been in such mess. It is the reason why many teams didn’t participate in the state league unlike last year. I am a part of the FA but am disappointed in this latest twist” He told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” The issue is all about power play, intrigues and politics and Medav been the youngest are the victim this time around but I know good will always triumph over evil intentions”.

The three goalkeppers in the camp of the Super Eagles are in a tight battle to replace injured first choice shot stopper Carl Ikeme, and a shooting session was done by the team to test the reflex of the trio of Dele Alampasu, Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi.

During the shooting practice while the experienced duo of Akpeyi and Ezenwa relied on clever foot works to make saves at ease, same can’t be said about Alampasu who dived with less emphasis on movement.

However while Ezenwa saved around 85% of the shots directed at him, Akpeyi was the most impressive saving around 90% of the shots against him. Alampasu on his part excelled in other areas but had a shot save percentage of around 60%.

During test games, Akpeyi was smart of his line and quick to act as a sweeper for his team, while Ezenwa’s strength appears to be in one on one duels against forwards. Alampasu was exceptionally good at claiming crosses.

Alampasu made a smart save from a well hit drive from Leon Balogun, and another from Iheanacho showed the former U-17 shot stopper who was voted the best goalkepper at the World Youth Championship in 2013 has grown in leaps and bounds.

Some changes will most likely be made to the Super Eagles starting line up for the clash against Algeria on the 12th of November, as coach Gernot Rohr has maintained a team that looked likely to start in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

From our checks at the team training session, the Franco-German manager of the team has stuck with an attack formation that could see Moses Simon and Brown Ideye dropped, from the team that defeated Zambia 2-1 in Ndola.

The duo appeared to have lost their starting spot in the team to Victor Moses and Oghenekaro Etebo who is staging a return to the team after missing out on the last two games, no thanks to fitness and club commitments.

Etebo has been very lively in training playing just ahead of Mikel and behind Iheanacho as the main striker, while Moses has been churning out impressive performances from the right wing.

However today’s close door session in Uyo could give a lot of information on the fate of the duo retaining their spot in the team, but from the training in Abuja, it doesn’t seem so.

Manchester City 20 year old forward Kelechi Iheanacho has been one of the shining light of the Super Eagles in training ahead of their World Cup 2018 clash against Algeria.

Iheanacho has been deployed in a role just behind the striker for the Super Eagles under manager Gernot Rohr in his first two games as coach, but it appears he could lead the line against Algeria.

Comfortable as a top striker, he has excelled in the role for English Premier League side Manchester City with an intimidating scoring record that makes him one of the top marksmen in the league.

As a top striker, he has taken the Eagles training by storm, with a deft goal to his name, aside his various deadly efforts at goal, and hold up play which has seen him link up properly with the like of Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi and Oghenekaro Etebo.

However if he is to play as a top striker, it could be at the expense of Odion Ighalo and Brown Ideye, the two strikers who have been used in the role by the manager since his appointment as coach.

Head coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has refused to rule out the possibility of Victor Moses playing as a wing back when Nigeria take on Algeria on Saturday in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

Rohr was asked upon arrival in Uyo if there is a possibility of Moses playing in the same role he has excelled this season at Chelsea under manager Antonio Conte.

” Too early to talk about tactics and formation but we have a way we hope to play, and regarding Moses he will play in a position that is best for the team, for him and for the entire nation as a whole” He said.

However from our checks at the team training session, the 25 year old has been played as a winger from the right and once operated from the left, with another showing just behind the striker.

Today’s close door session of the Eagles in Uyo could decide the likely formation the team will play against Algeria, although they are insinuations that Rohr could stick to his preferred 4-3-3 formation.

The Super Eagles stepped up their preparation for their second game in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers, which will take place this weekend against Algeria with coach Gernot Rohr trying out various formations in attack.

Spoilt for choice in attack, the return of Brown Ideye to training added more spice to the team’s options in attack but with the coach still looking for the right pairings, he tried out so many options in training which Owngoalnigeria.com witnessed.

The session started with the trio of Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho leading the line in a three man attack while Oghenekaro Etebo played just behind the main striker Iheanacho.

For the other team Moses Simon, Odion Ighalo and Ideye started upfront. It gave us a little hint that the duo of Simon and Ideye who started the game against Zambia could be dropped for Etebo and Moses.

Although Simon dazzled during yesterday’s session, the abilities of Moses in defending could give him an edge above the Gent man when Rohr names his team for the tie against Algeria on Saturday.

Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria Gernot Rohr is yet to settle on his preferred pair in the central defence ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Algeria.

Owngoalnigeria.com checks on the team training session can report that Rohr tried out four possible combination in central defence during the session in search for the right duo.

Kenneth Omeruo and Leon Balogun started at one end while Troost Ekong was paired with Uche Agbo at the start of training for the other team, and as the session progressed, the coach made further changed.

Agbo and Omeruo were later paired on one side while Balogun and Ekong played for the other team, and even though they kept a clean sheet. Rohr shocked onlookers when Agbo was made to pair Elderson Echiejile.

Echiejile who is predominantly a left full back paired the Granada man in central defence, and amazingly the duo were quite comfortable playing alongside each other with Agbo particularly impressive with his ball distribution.

It remains to be seen which of the pair will get the nod for the Algeria game, but Nigerians can be rest assured that whoever gets the nod won’t falter against the Desert Foxes.