As the debate continue on who is better between the duo of Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho, a former coach of the team has given his opinion after the error committed by both goalkeepers in two separate games.

Okoye was robbed off the ball for the first goal scored by Algeria B in a 2-2 draw while Uzoho was largely at fault for the goal which handed the main team of Algeria a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the second friendly game.

A similar scenario played out at the start of the year, where Okoye was at fault for the goal that helped Tunisia to a 1-0 win to send Nigeria out of the Africa Cup of Nations. In his absence Uzoho was in goal for the world cup qualifiers playoff and it was his gaffe that handed Ghana the goal which helped them qualify ahead of Nigeria on away goals rules.

The fact that they both have been first choice for Nigeria the past three years yet make almost same mistakes made us to approach a former coach in the team on his opinion regarding who is the better shot stopper.

“Okoye without a doubt. Thrice we have experimented with the idea of dropping him for Uzoho but we all agree at the end after watching both of them that he is the better option. Their respective career at club level should tell you who is better”,he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

“Uzoho was on the rise before that injury against Brazil. He lost one year and he hasn’t been the same since then while Okoye have been progressing steadily and he ended up at Watford. It’s that year gap that took Okoye past Uzoho in my opinion”,he concluded.

In a bid to provide cover and also competition in the right back position of the senior national team of Nigeria new coach Jose Peseiro has taken the search to Turkey, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Presently Ola Aina occupies that role for Nigeria and it appears he has no one to deputize him as seen in the game against Algeria, where he was the only player to start both games with Nigeria drawing 2-2 and losing the second game 1-2.

Peseiro sees it as an area of concern hence has requested for extensive scouting on Fenerbahce right back Bright Osayi-Samuel, the full back comes highly recommended from the technical department of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The 24 year old has made the right back position of the Turkish side his sole preserve in just two years at the club. As a matter of fact he was converted to a right back  following his move from QPR where he was a midfielder or a winger.

This season he has played eleven games in all competitions with six coming as a right back and the others coming as the right sided wingback in a 3-5-2 formation. Last season he played 13 games as the right back in 43 games and in 12 games he was the wingback in a five man midfield.

That form has caught the eyes of Peseiro who has instructed his team to take a look at the defender ahead of the next international round of games, where Nigeria will take on Portugal.

Players of the senior national team of Nigeria are finding it hard to cope with the demand of new coach Jose Peseiro, who has shown so far that he is a coach who want his team to always attack.

His approach is in sharp contrast with the style of former coach Gernot Rohr, who is very conservative in his approach insisting on the team keeping their shape defensively more than they do in the opposition half.

Although Peseiro’s approach has seen the team score in all but one of the games under the Portuguese, the players are uncomfortable with the way he wants them to work both on and off the ball. “It’s too demanding”,a player said in the wake of the 1-2 loss to Algeria.

” We play with a two man midfield and he expects the player behind the striker to drop deep alongside the wingers when we are without the ball. Then move in numbers to crowd the opposition’s box the moment we get the ball”, he explained.

” It’s asking a lot of the players to be honest and the complains have been there as a lot of us are not comfortable especially the defenders. They feel exposed. We are not even allowed to keep the ball in our half, it must be in the opponent’s half. You know how hard that can be”, he rounded up saying.

Modern day football has placed demands on wingers to not just create goals but also get among goals. When the goals don’t come many expect the winger to at least assist others to score.

It’s even worse for new signings especially if they come with a reputation as the difference maker for teams, who are struggling or pushing for the title and are handed regular run of games upon their arrival. It can sometimes put the player under pressure with fans expecting them to hit the ground running.

Hertha Berlin Nigerian winger Chidera Ejuke falls within the category described above as since his move from Russian side CSKA Moscow where he suspended his contract due to the war. He hasn’t quite set the German Bundesliga on fire as widely expected.

However it’s safe to say he has shown tremendous improvement in the area of his final balls which is what frustrates many in his game. He bagged his third consecutive assist helping his team to a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim. He laid the pass for Dodi Lukebakio for the leveler in the 37th minute.

Before yesterday’s game he has picked up assist against Bayern Leverkusen and also Mainz 05. An improvement which his coach admitted came after several works on the training ground in the wake of criticism about his end products. It’s nothing close to his dribbling abilities.

” You see he (Ejuke) can do that with ease and also for a while for the team. It’s part of what we sought to change in his game and he is showing massive improvement in that regard. It’s still a work in process and we will continue to work on it”, coach Sandro Schwarz said after the game.

Not so often do you see pundits say a particular player is above the level of the league he is playing in and for that to happen, the player in question must have shown quality on a consistent level.

It’s normal for strikers to score goals that will make jaw drops because they are mostly tasked with getting the goals. However when a defender does same in two consecutive games then it becomes hot topics owing to the fact that stopping goals is what they are mainly expected to do.

Nigeria international defender Chidozie Awaziem has however made goal scoring look easy with his second goal of the season for Croatian side Hadjuk Split in their 1-0 win over Rijeka. He is on loan to the team from Portuguese side Boavista.

The 25 year old showed quick feet, good movement and precise finishing to hand his team the winner, the second time he is scoring a goal that will make many strikers to be envious of his ability in the box. He scored a similar goal against NK Lokomotiva.

Already there are talks on the fact that the former FC Porto defender is not just the best player in his team, he is also seen as one of the few players who deserve to be playing at a level higher than the Croatian League. It was roundly talked about on Twitter immediately after the game.

The battle for which team will end the round of games in the Serie A was one of the highlight going into the eight round of games with as many as three teams in prime position to be league leaders.

Napoli’s 3-1 win over Torino ensure that they will finish top of the league after the games unless Atalanta score seven unreplied goals against Fiorentina. That didn’t happen but they were able to go level on points with the early season pace setters.

Ademola Lookman ensured they went level on points with the leaders with his second goal of the season in the 59th minute. It ended as the match winner handing his team a 1-0 win preserving their unbeaten start to the season.

The Nigerian has been a revelation since his move to the team in the summer from RB Leipzig upon his return from a loan spell in England with Leicester City. So good is his form that he has kept the highly rated Jeremie Boga out of the team.

In 8 matches this season he has two goals and one assist. It could easily have been three if his goal against Monza wasn’t given as an own goal. The ball came off defender Marlon in the box denying the 24 year old the honour of claiming the goal.

There have been clamour for new players to be called up to the senior national team of Nigeria since Jose Peseiro was appointed as coach of the team in the wake of their failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Peseiro somehow heed to that call by calling up three new players in Ebube Duru, Saviour Godwin and Raphael Onyedika for the friendly games against the B team of Algeria and also the main team in the just concluded international break.

Nigeria drew 2-2 with the B team before losing 0-1 to the main team with all new players called up making their debut during the course of both games, which were played in Algeria. One of the players Saviour Godwin spoke with OwnGoalNigeria.com on the experience.

” It’s totally different. You really can’t explain but you just feel an unusual kind of pressure. It hits differently when you step on the pitch. I felt it the moment I was introduced but after a while, it felt very normal but even at that it’s still not easy “, the Casa Pia winger who made his debut in the 2-2 draw against the B team of Algeria said.

” Back at my club. The aim is to continue to do better and stay in the team because it’s what most players will tell you makes them happy. I have to improve on my club form and I know if I do then I will have another chance to prove myself”, he explained.

The agent of Tottenham Hotspur bound defender Destiny Udogie has pour cold waters on speculations that the defender could dump Italy for Nigeria.

Signed in the summer, Udogie who is born to a father of Nigerian descent is spending this season on loan to Udinese and so far he ranks among the top performing defenders in the Italian Serie A. However his form couldn’t get him into the senior national team.

Yet to be capped by Italy at senior level, the door towards switching to Nigeria is wide open, something the 19 year old admitted is tempting when he spoke about it in April. Back then he was at Hellas Verona.

“I was born in Italy, so I feel more Italian. I grew up playing with the young players in Italy. I hope to reach the first team. It’s ambition, I just have to give more, to do my best every game, show my quality and it’s a big ambition”, he said in April.

“I have been in Nigeria but I was very small. I was like two years old so I don’t remember much but I’ve been there. My favorite player of course is Okocha, every Nigerian player knows him. It’s am option I must admit”, he rounded up saying when asked on his choice for international football.

His agent Ferdinando Guarino has however squashed any chance of a possible switch to Nigeria insisting that his client is focused on representing Italy, where he is already a youth international and was involved in the latest round of international games.

“Udogie is a player monitored by the senior national team. This time, we were hoping for a call-up but he was called up anyway with the U-21, really showing a particular attachment to the national team.

“He had a physical problem due to a clash on the pitch and despite not being at 100%, he gave his contribution, tightening his teeth and playing important matches against England and Japan. He has a great attachment to the Azzurri shirt and there will still be time for the senior national team. The goal is that he is Italian, born in Italy, who feels the blue shirt and is proving it.”

The local coaches appointed to the senior national team of Nigeria as part of the technical crew of new coach Jose Peseiro are not finding it easy to cope financially. OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Peseiro came with three of his assistants but he is responsible for their pay hence they don’t have such issues but that isn’t the case with the quartet of Finidi George, Salisu Yusuf, Usman Abdallah and Ike Shorunmu. All four local coaches presently don’t have signed contracts.

We gathered they presently have no idea how much they will be earning or how they will be paid as they have not heard a word from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The situation is the same for the backroom staff who were recently appointed as well.

” My brother, we beg players for money. That’s a fact. It’s the only way we can survive esle how do we explain to our families that we are travelling abroad with a national team and returning with nothing to show? You know they won’t take it”, a member of the backroom team told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

” The players haven’t been paid their allowances for the last 12 or 13 matches. Even the last game we played against Algeria, they just played and go and I am not sure they have received match allowance for any friendly game the past two years”, he concluded.