One Touch, One Goal - Meet The New Cristiano Ronaldo

Sixty-one goals in 54 games represents a career-best return for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid forward scored goals galore in 2014-15 to better his 60 strikes from 55 appearances in 2011-12. Overall, the stats seem similar, but he has in fact become a very different player.

When Madrid signed Ronaldo for a world-record fee of €94 million in 2009, they bought a winger with blistering pace, dribbling ability and tremendous technique - a player who could score from anywhere.

Six years on, Cristiano is still scoring. His 48 Liga goals means he will win the Pichichi award again this term and also claim the European Golden Shoe for an unprecedented fourth time. But the Portuguese has had to change his game in recent times as he gets older and at the age of 30, he is a different footballer to the one Madrid signed from Manchester United.

The Ronaldo running from deep and dribbling past defenders as a talented 24-year-old is now something of the past. The 2009 Cristiano set up chances for his team-mates; these days he finishes them off. And a look at his recent strikes against Sevilla, Espanyol and Getafe are proof of that. Although he still starts on the left, the 30-year-old is much more of a centre-forward these days.

Of the 48 goals he scored in La Liga this term, 41 of those (85 per cent) were netted with a single touch, while 43 of the 48 (90%) were converted inside the box. Ten (21%) were penalties, while 12 (25%) were headers - a career high for Ronaldo - and only two were scored from free-kicks (4%). And both of those came in the last few weeks of the Liga season as well, following a frustrating few months from dead-ball situations - once a speciality of the Portuguese.

Looking solely at the stats, CR7 looks much more like CR9 - a traditional centre-forward. But back in his first season at Madrid, when he actually wore the number 9 because Raul was still at the club, the numbers were different. In 2009-10, Ronaldo scored 26 times in La Liga, with only 61% of those coming from his first touch, while just 12% came from headers. That season, Ronaldo also netted eight times from individual strikes he himself had created - something now virtually redundant in his game, even if he has converted almost double the amount of goals in 2014-15.

In 2009-10, Cristiano played under Manuel Pellegrini, before featuring for three seasons with compatriot Jose Mourinho on the bench and then two more for the recently sacked Carlo Ancelotti.

With Rafa Benitez now set to take over next week at the Santiago Bernabeu, it will be interesting to see the evolution of Ronaldo's game in 2015-16 as he closes in on Raul's record of 323 strikes for Madrid. One thing, however, seems certain - there will be plenty of goals. 

Making Sense Of Keshi's Latest Nigeria Squad Including His Mikel Omission

Stephen Keshi ’s stint with the Super Eagles has frequently lurched from absurd to inspired, and back again. It therefore is no surprise to see the composition of the maiden squad of his second coming – the foreign-based contingent that is.

This list of 15 was revealed on Sunday evening, and will join up with their Nigeria Professional Football League counterparts in camping for the Afcon 2017 Qualifier against Chad.

There is a lot to be gleaned from this list, especially considering (seemingly) arbitrary personnel decisions were the bane of his first stint in charge. For every Michael Babatunde and Sunday Mba, there was a Michael Uchebo, a Nosa Igiebor, a Ramon Azeez; this lent an air of potluck to Keshi’s successes – if you have enough knives in your hand, you are bound to cut something.

On the evidence of this list though, very little has changed.

The most high-profile omission is of Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, only this last weekend won another Premier League title. There really is not much to carp about on that front: Mikel has struggled for both form and fitness this year, and is hardly the sort of consistent performer on the international stage for whom an exception can be made.

The question then is: if this is the criterion on which Mikel has been left out, how is a player like Ogenyi Onazi included?

The Lazio man has made 18 appearances (nine as starts) for Lazio this term, but has served the Rome club better by staying out of the way mostly. He has also lost his place as the go-to option in the event of injury or suspension, usurped by 20-year-old prospect Danilo Cataldi. His form with the national side has also suffered – Onazi has looked half the player since Blaise Matuidi ended his World Cup in Brazil.

For that matter, how to justify the central defensive pairing of Godfrey Oboabona and Kenneth Omeruo? Since the Big Boss stumbled upon the pairing in the second game of the 2013 Afcon, these two have been virtually undroppable.

While the virtue of familiarity in defence is clear, neither of these two have played a good game for the national team in ages. Both are also bench players in such 'elite' clubs as Caykur Rizespor and Middlesbrough.

Some have argued the pickings are slim in Europe for Nigerian centre-backs; I say why pick for the sake of it then? This list is intended to augment the home-based call-ups, which includes the NPFL’s best defenders. In terms of form and fitness, they are clearly ahead, so play them.

This lack of coherence is also evident in the omissions as well. Aaron Samuel has quickly endeared himself to the public for his knack of the impact goal while not playing especially well. If his limitations could be overlooked on the grounds of lack of alternatives then, what about now with Emem Eduok and Osaguona Ighodaro in sparkling form in North Africa? The former in particular is a superb footballer, and would be an upgrade on the China-based blunt instrument. Ighodaro struck five times in six games in the CAF Champions League until his Raja Casablanca side were eliminated from the competition.

Most surprising is the call-up of Rabiu Ibrahim. The former U-17 world champion, whose style and ability evoked comparisons with wizard midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha, has struggled to fulfil his immense promise due to a spate of unfortunate injuries. After failed stints at former European champions Celtic and PSV Eindhoven, it is at Slovakian club Trencin that he has found a home.

After a relatively injury-free season, his first in a long while, he has been rewarded with an invitation to the Super Eagles. Whichever way you look at it, it feels wrong. Rabiu has hardly stood out - four goals and one assist in 17 appearances, and only thrice has he completed 90 minutes - instead it seems he is in the squad on the basis of that spark back in 2007 under the tutelage of the late Yemi Tella.

If his reputation precedes him, it is perhaps because it is easy for great players to make themselves the template, even for future generations. Okocha was a stellar footballer, but getting caught up trying to replace him ignores the fact that the national team predated him, and as such is perfectly capable of functioning without him or a plaster-cast clone.

The issue of creativity from midfield is one that has raged on for years, and which Keshi was unable to address in his first stint. If his genius solution this time around is to try to resurrect an eight-year ghost in a player only just piecing his career together after much heartache, then the next two years of his contract will be exceeding long indeed.

Coppa Win Keeps Juve Treble Alive

Two down, the big one to go.

Juventus are on the verge of a historic treble after collecting the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, with Alessandro Matri ensuring that the entire Bianconeri squad will receive their fair share of the limelight if they do go on to beat Barcelona in the Champions League final.

The 2-1 success over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico was a victory for Massimiliano Allegri’s approach to the task of making Juve competitive on all fronts. Whereas his predecessor Antonio Conte was renowned for sending out his first XI as often as possible regardless of the scenario, Allegri has been more conservative but more trusting of his players.

He has afforded Roberto Pereyra plenty of playing time, has given the likes of Simone Padoin and Stefano Sturaro a fair share of starts. He has had no quarms about resting his main men when the time has been right. On top of that, he has gladly switched formations to suit the demands of the occasion and to benefit those he has inserted into the line-up.

Even ahead of the Coppa Italia final there were questions asked of his decision to start Marco Storari rather than Gianluigi Buffon despite the former Catania and Milan goalkeeper having started every game in the competition this season. Although Storari was beaten in the fourth minute by a scuffed header by Stefan Radu, he led from the back superbly throughout.

Looking at the shape of the Bianconeri backline, you would have been forgiven for thinking Buffon – one of the world’s greatest ever organisers – was the man donning the gloves. And when he was just about beaten soon after extra-time had begun, Storari had covered a Filip Djordjevic effort which hit both posts and cannoned back into play.

Moments later, Matri fired home the decisive goal. It was only his second strike since returning to the club to become the fourth-choice front man following the departure to Toronto of Sebastian Giovinco. This was a game which reminded the rest of Italy that Juventus don’t just have the best team, they have the best squad.

Their reserves have what it takes to contribute in the big games too, with the losses of Claudio Marchisio and Alvaro Morata to suspension having no lasting effect thanks to the significant strength in depth. Much is said of Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez but the first three have missed decent chunks of the 2014-15 campaign to little consequence.

It became a huge talking point across the country when Juve shirked the custom of donning gold stars on their shirts after securing what they consider to be their 30th Scudetto in 2012. With Wednesday’s result, they will now be invited to wear a silver star to represent their record 10 Coppa Italia triumphs.

There will doubtless now be a conversation within the boardroom at Corso Galileo Ferraris to decide on the politics of taking up the invitation, but if there is a hint of silver added to the black and white next season then it will be a reminder of the depth of quality that the current Juventus squad has available.

When they head to Berlin on June 6, the likes of Storari and Matri are sure to be left on the bench at the very least. But they have helped Juve to continue to taste that winning feeling. They are on a seemingly unstoppable roll.

Bring on Barcelona!

Money isn't everything: Juventus are worth €774m, Real Madrid valued at €3.1bn

The European Cup has had its surprise successes over the years and, as such, Juventus' progression to the Champions League final at the expense of Real Madrid should not have come as such a major shock.

The Old Lady is no penniless pauper, with her status as Italy's biggest club being bolstered by yet another Serie A title this season. It was hardly a David vs Goliath story. The trip to Berlin in June will mark their eighth final, not their first.

Yet the ever-widening gap between the richest and the rest in the modern game dictates that any failure for one of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid becomes a huge story. The phenomenal pulling power of the top trio has threatened not just to leave behind the minnows of the game, but also many of the traditional giants from elsewhere across the globe - Juventus included.

Not since 2008 has the Champions League final taken place without one of Barca, Bayern or Madrid, while all three have made the semi-finals in three of the last four campaigns. It is four years since the Germans didn't make the semis, with Madrid going one better. Barca, meanwhile, have only once failed to make the last four in eight attempts since a last-16 exit to Liverpool in 2007.

There can be no doubting that the financial conditions which have been put in place in recent years have been hugely beneficial to the traditional powerhouses, with the largely unchanged make-up of the Champions League each season speaking volumes about the way the natural order has been strengthened.

But just as the Premier League's financial might has not blown away European opposition, the top three have also found plenty of competition in the latter stages of the Champions League from those with far less muscle in the market.

In 2010, Inter upset the odds to win the trophy, while Schalke made the semi-finals 12 months later. Then there was Borussia Dortmund's run to the 2013 final and Atletico's similar achievement last year. The bigger the biggest clubs get, the more astonishing such achievements are.

While Juventus versus Real Madrid might have been a fairer fight back in 2003 when the Bianconeri last saw off the Blancos to reach a final, the same cannot be said now. Madrid had twice the income of Juve in 2013-14, and over the last three years alone they have coined in €835 million more than the Turin side in commercial, matchday and broadcasting revenues.

As a result, Real Madrid as a club now has an estimated value of €3.1 billion, four times as large as Juventus' €774m valuation. The first XI which took to the field at the Santiago Bernabeu cost €425.5m compared to Juve's €128.8m.

All common reason pointed to a Real Madrid win, but Juventus' success gives football hope. It shows why the sport still has a future. If the success of the rich was a foregone conclusion, the rest of us would have every reason to just pack up and go home.

But when Massimiliano Allegri and his Bianconeri take their pre-match walk around the field at the Olympiastadion on June 6, they will be playing not just for Juventus fans – not just for Italy – but for the vast majority of European football. They are proving that the game is not always about who has the most money.

Juve, like Atletico, Dortmund and Schalke before them, are keeping the dream alive.

Should we care about title victories for John Obi Mikel & Kwadwo Asamoah?

Kwadwo Asamoah and John Obi Mikel may be very different players, but they have various things in common beyond their (reduced) contributions to their side’s championships.

Both, for example, often find their roles within their teams—both at club level and international level—the subject of great debate.

The pair, like Alex Song perhaps, have been victims both of stereotyping and of their own versatility.

Mikel, whose physique and physical characteristics often steal the attention away from his technical qualities, has transitioned from No. 10 to defensive midfielder to anchor man to deep-lying playmaker throughout his career.

Jose Mourinho, however, appears to have settled on using the player as an end-of-game neutraliser—a player who can help Chelsea retain the ball and ease-out contests, and with the presence and the positional discipline to help the Pensioners preserve their shape and their defensive resiliency.

Asamoah is one of the few African players today who has both the dynamism and the energy to operate as a box-to-box midfielder, and who possesses the technical qualities and creative vision to control the game from the heart of the park. However, he has been famously shunted out to the left flank by Antonio Conte, Kwesi Appiah and, latterly, Max Allegri.

Despite this, it’s important to acknowledge the difference in status and situation between Mikel and Asamoah.

Both have spent extensive time on the sidelines this season due to injury, with the general consensus being that Juve have been hit harder than the Pensioners.

That’s maybe true, both in terms of severity of injury and the knock-on consequence to the side’s first team—Asamoah started 32 league games for Juventus last season, compared to 11 for Mikel—but I still disagree with those who write to me on Twitter and claim that the loss of Mikel to Chelsea is no loss at all.
As Europe’s major leagues come to a conclusion, the contribution of African players to title-winning sides is scant.

Only John Obi Mikel and Kwadwo Asamoah have been confirmed as winners of their respective domestic leagues, despite making limited contributions to their teams’ triumphs.

Admittedly, in France, an African player is guaranteed to win the title.

However, at Paris Saint-Germain, on-loan right-back Serge Aurier has struggled for fitness and minutes, while Olympique Lyonnais—featuring the likes of Henri Bedimo, Mohamed Yattara and Clinton N’Jie—must be considered outsiders for the Ligue 1 crown.

It’s little better in Germany, where Bayern Munich have given only 12 Bundesliga starts to Mehdi Benatia. In La Liga, the big two…(or do we call it a big three these days?)...have no players from the continent.

That leaves us with England and Italy, where Chelsea and Juventus respectively have already been confirmed as champions.

This means another title honour, another star on the honours sheet, for two of Africa’s more high-profile players….but should we really care?

How will the victories of the 14/15 season stand-up in history?

In an era where winning medals from major European leagues aren’t readily forthcoming for African players, what will the first-place prizes mean for the legacy and reputation of the Ghana star and the Nigeria talisman?

The Nigerian may not be a regular first-choice option, but it’s hard to deny that he’s  not a valuable asset to Mourinho—both for the reasons given above and as a replacement for Nemanja Matic when the manager opts to rotate his squad.

The Portuguese coach has been criticised for not resting his key players enough this season—with Matic fading immensely as the year wore on—but this might have been a different story, and given Chelsea a lift, had Mikel not been out.

Similarly, his fine 15-minute cameo against Everton earlier in the season—complete with an assist for Diego Costa—reminded observers of what the Super Eagle is capable of, notably against one of the division’s better sides, when he is thrown into the fray.

Nigeria fans complaining of Mikel’s reduced role at Chelsea—pre injuries—are allowed to be disgruntled; it’s not ideal to see a national hero play a supporting role. However, they must realise that with modern football and modern squad play as they are, and with the Pensioners hoping to play a 65-game season, Mikel can still be a valuable asset to Chelsea.

Certainly, this golden star won’t shine as brightly for the Nigerian as 2010, when he played 25 games as Chelsea romped to the trophy. But after making 16 showings this term, he deserves his place among the celebrations. I have little doubt that his contribution would have been much greater had injuries not derailed his campaign.

Intriguingly, despite being more influential for Juventus last season than Mikel was for Chelsea last term, a case could be made that Asamoah has been less of a loss for Juventus.

This is mainly due to the arrival of Patrice Evra. The left-back joined from Manchester United last summer and has taken immediately to Italian football.

Largely, Evra has featured as a conventional left-back, but he has also stepped into a wing-back role for the Old Lady, and impressed.

Arguably, Evra’s big-game performances—he was outstanding against Monaco, Borussia Dortmund and Lazio recently—have made him one of key success stories of Juve’s season.

The emergence of Paul Pogba has also helped the Bianconeri move on without Kwadwo. Typically a central midfielder, the France international has also featured in Kojo’s berth on the left flank—to great effect—and had he not had his own fitness concerns, the loss of Asamoah would have been felt even less.

The Ghanaian remains a valuable asset for Juve, but his role at the club has certainly changed and probably diminished over the last 10 months.

Finally, I close by considering a potential collision between these two peripheral narratives next season.

Back at the end of 2014, Mourinho was rumoured to be looking at Asamoah, but any scope for the suggestion of a switch was ended by the player’s debilitating injury.

As Kwadwo returns to fitness…with a potential Champions League final on the horizon, no less…will the Portuguese coach come calling again?

Asamoah, as a younger, more versatile option than Mikel would not only effectively replace the Nigerian as Mourinho’s central-midfield back-up, but he’d arguably provide more appropriate cover for Cesc Fabregas, as well as Matic.

Similarly, he could replace the disappointing Filipe Luis as the Blues’ back-up left-back, and would be a perfectly adequate option for this role.

Perhaps, in a year’s time, we’ll be discussing whether Asamoah has earned his latest club honour…a Premier League winner’s medal! For Mikel, an injury-free status quo may be the best we can hope for

Man United's season ending in embarrassment

For the Manchester United fans streaming out of Old Trafford on Saturday evening there was just one question: "What on earth has happened to this team?".

A team which finally looked to have clicked into gear at the end of March with blistering performances against Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa, followed up by an enthralling victory against Manchester City, now looks to be back at, if not square one, then at least the low points of January and February which had disgruntled fans chanting "attack attack attack!".

Louis van Gaal had seemed to stumble across a winning formula; a 4-3-3 formation with Maraoune Fellaini as a target-man No.10, Wayne Rooney up front, Juan Mata causing discreet havoc on the right and Ashley Young doing it more overtly on the left. Ander Herrera was precise in the heart of the midfield as Michael Carrick sat deep, conducted the orchestra. Carrick has been out these last three matches, which have brought three defeats, and the others have struggled to do anything. Indeed, it is four hours and 17 minutes since Chris Smalling headed in United's fourth against City. That was the last goal the Red Devils have scored.

It begs the question, did things click at all? Football journalism, a reflection of modern society, is a cynical business. But when it comes to the good performances of football clubs there is a strange, pervading optimism. Pundits and fans alike start looking towards the next step, assuming that, at long last, everything is well with the world.

But just as teams are capable of having uncharacteristic poor runs of form, they are just as capable of uncharacteristic good runs of form.

The trick is to keep that level of performance week in, week out, no matter the players you have at your disposal or the opponent. That is what separates the best from the rest, and why the accusations of "boring" football levelled at Chelsea should be disregarded out of hand. Good form, winning forms, is not easy to keep up.

The worry now is whether that exhilarating run which had United fans dreaming of second place, if not the title, was a false dawn.

Van Gaal, even when United fans were crying for 4-4-2, was producing results. It wasn't pretty a lot of the time, but it was getting the job done.

But three defeats have followed that victory against Manchester City, when hopes hit their peak. In the lengthy analysis of United's shape on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football 24 hours later, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher may not have gone all the way in suggesting United could compete with the best in the Champions League, but the suggestion was there. This was, supposedly, a team which was moving in the right direction. There was no looking back.

Van Gaal, too, talks about the "process" after every match, win, lose or draw, and often sees an improvement in his side week on week. But nobody could look at that performance against West Brom and think it was an improvement even the worst United showing this season, let alone the golden period of late March and mid-April.

Think back to January 11 when United passed the ball from side to side and eventually lost to Southampton at Old Trafford. That was a low point, prompting questions among the support about what kind of football they want their team to play and whether things had moved on from the David Moyes era at all. Worryingly, this was essentially the same performance.

West Brom, for all of the magnificent discipline and know-how they showed at Old Trafford, the type which is extremely difficult to pull off, do not have the attacking weapons of Southampton. Barring Chris Brunt's heavily deflected free kick, they offered little in attack. United had 80 per cent possession, and more importantly a penalty. Robin van Persie missed it.

This was a smash and grab victory, but if United continue to play this stodgy football, looking to starve the opposition of the ball but without creating too many chances themselves, it is likely to happen.

The problems facing Van Gaal now are the problems he faced three or four months ago. What's worrying is that fans have been shown a better way, their expectations, a year on from Moyes' sacking, were back at the top, even if their team weren't quite.

How has this collapse - it cannot be considered anything else - have come about? Those brilliant victories came using more or less the same XI, the same specific players doing the same specific, key roles. Several injuries picked up in that defeat of City have proven extremely costly. It appears that, without that specific XI (and especially Carrick), the team looks as lost as it did for much of the season.

Next week United must travel to Crystal Palace in another Saturday evening kick-off. It will not be a welcoming environment and Van Gaal will be hoping his side can not only control the game, but break down their opponents.

"You think that I am god but it’s not like that," the Dutchman said after this defeat. "What is happening is happening always because when your team is playing better always, your opponent defend more and that you can see. Everton at their home had a very defensive organisation, and Chelsea at home also. Teams come here like that you can expect, but also in our away matches they are defending.

"We have to disorganise that organisation, but that is the next step in the process. We have more time on the ball, they have more time to break, we need to play with higher ball speed and that is difficult."

So the process goes on. Just as it is easy to be too optimistic it serves nobody to assume the worst. Manchester United and Louis van Gaal, though, have a long way to go. That's realistic.

Odion Ighalo, Yakubu and Kenneth Omeruo - Nigerians in the Championship: Season Review

Perhaps more so than ever, the Championship has been filled with key Nigerian protagonists this season. Some of the nation’s stars felt the biting reality of failure as they dropped out of the division, others still face the tortuous drama of the playoffs, while one basked in the glory of guaranteed promotion.

In this feature, we look back over the year that was and review the 2014-15 Championship season for Nigeria’s stars

Automatic Promotion

Odion Ighalo is, without a doubt, the great success story of the 2014-15 Championship season—certainly from a Nigerian point of view.

The 25-year-old recently topped our power ranking of Nigerian strikers in Europe’s major leagues, and his 20 goals in only 22 league starts this season mean that he ends the year joint-fourth in the Championship scoring charts.

Watford secured promotion to the Premier League last week, and while they were ultimately pipped to the title by Bournemouth—following a late draw against Sheffield Wednesday—their talented squad will be relishing the chance to join the elite next term.

Nigerian fans should be excited about seeing another of our fine hitmen join the Super Eagles strikers already in the EPL—Ighalo threatens to outscore the lot.

Liverpool still haunted by Suarez loss

Luis Suarez scored two goals for Barcelona on Tuesday night as they despatched Getafe in another hopelessly one-sided La Liga contest. 

The second goal he scored was one of his typical curled finishes from outside the box. Pure class. His first was a piece of genius that has been desperately missed by his former club Liverpool.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers might have pondered, at times, during this tepid 1-0 defeat to Hull City what his old charge might have offered here in place of the players he bought to replace him.

"We did not look like scoring really to be honest," Rodgers said after. "There were some good moments and we had enough of the ball but never threatened the goal as we would have liked."

As Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert toiled in vain again it all came back to what Liverpool are missing. The spectre of Suarez continues to haunt this team. 

Factor in the constant injuries to the devastating Daniel Sturridge and it is pretty apparent that Liverpool are a shadow of the team they were. They have lost over 50 goals, three league places and their hard-earned berth in the Champions League.

"It is about having that reference at the top end of the field that gives the other players the confidence and movement to create opportunities," Rodgers said. "Our struggles tonight were what they’ve been for the big part of the season in terms of that creativity and scoring goals."

Liverpool's season, which promised an FA Cup final and a return to Champions League football only a few short weeks ago, has disintegrated. Rodgers admitted that he has asked his players to maintain their professionalism until the end of the season. They owe the badge that much. After that? Who knows.

Ighalo and Watford moving on to bigger things

Results are the ultimate record of accomplishment, but their greater significance is often glimpsed only through the prism of context. On the face of it, Watford’s 2-0 win over Brighton, two places above the relegation zone and winless in six, was hardly the most stimulating contest. Still, as referee Keith Stroud blew his whistle for full time, he marked the end of a 90 minutes which the Hornets will not forget for a while.

With the win, Slavisa Jokanovic’s side sealed promotion to the Premier League for the first time in eight years; their 88-point haul means they cannot drop lower than second place with one game left in the season. It is a remarkable achievement for a club that has gone through four different managers this term alone, three of those inside the first two months of the campaign.

The manner of the result was profoundly satisfying for Jokanovic as well, with the club’s three highest scorers playing prominent roles: Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo assisted the opener for skipper and leading scorer Troy Deeney, and Deeney returned the favour deep into stoppage time for Czech international Matej Vydra to put gloss on the result.

With the fascination about tactics, it is perhaps easy to forget that football can be as easy as getting your best players to combine in advanced areas where it matters most. In this sense, Watford’s success this season has not been surprising at all; in spite of the early upheaval, they have the second-best attack in the Championship with 90, and Deeney, Ighalo and Vydra have pitched in with 56 of those.

Particularly indispensable has been the contribution of Ighalo to the cause. The 25-year-old only managed four goals for the Hornets before the New Year, but has struck sixteen times in 2015. His goals have been crucial, propelling the club from sixth place at the start of the year to top spot with one game to play.

In the gruelling 46-game season that is the English Championship, player burnout is a very present danger. One can imagine then that Ighalo saving his best for last has effectively given Watford a second wind while others floundered; Derby for example find themselves down in sixth, having led the league for much of the first half and begun the year in third.

The Nigeria international told AfricanFootball of his delight at securing promotion, saying, “I am fulfilled with the EPL ticket.

“My dream has been to play in the EPL, so with this ticket, it is a dream come true for me and I am happy to be part of this with Watford.”

Ighalo has, over the course of his career so far, certainly shown himself useful to promotion pushes. His 17 goals over 28 appearances helped Granada to promotion in Spain back in 2009. The step-up in terms of quality is one which he will have to make though, if Watford have any hopes of surviving in the Premier League; he then proceeded to score just 18 times in 99 appearances in La Liga.

For now though, the striker is not worrying about that just yet.

“My next target is to win our last match and… Championship trophy…,” he stressed.

Ego firmly to the side then for Ighalo, a firm believer in Christianity and the role of God in sporting outcomes. This hopeful, focused outlook has endeared him to the club’s fans in a major way – goals have helped too, naturally – and he is now in an environment and culture where he can be comfortable and express himself freely; a far cry from spending four seasons on loan at Granada.

More than just goals though, there are four assists to the forward’s name this season. Direct contribution to goals sees him as the second-most important player to Jokanovic, and if the Hornets are to avoid the fate of 2007 – where they finished rock-bottom of the Premier League, only managing five wins all season – they will need Ighalo to get going quickly.

They certainly have the potential to hold their own in the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League, and thanks to being owned by the Pozzo family, they also have quality from sister clubs Italy (Udinese) and Spain (Granada) available. In manager Slavisa Jokanovic, they have a manager that at age 46 has an impressive resume featuring league titles in two different countries, and who enjoyed a brief stint in his playing career at Chelsea.

Without a doubt, 2015 has been a dream year for Odion Ighalo – promoted to the Premier League and recently a part of the Nigeria national team set-up. How he handles the limelight will tell us a lot more about the player, but if his humble demeanour is anything to go by, the Lagos-born striker is set for bigger things.

The Great Debate: Is Keshi's new deal the right move for Nigeria?

The news of Stephen Keshi's return to the Nigeria hotseat has been greeted with much fanfare, but is it a good move for the Super Eagles?

Few can deny the Big Boss his glorious success of 2013, but have the bitter failings of 2014 been too easily forgotten?

Two of Goal Nigeria's finest discuss the hot topic in the nation's football today...

"Keshi deal is a backward step"

The severity of Nigeria's rapidly-waning football, both on and off the pitch, in recent times, is one that draws tears from the eyes.

The just-concluded Presidential and Gubernatorial elections in Nigeria served as a welcomed distraction from the never-ending dilemma in the Nigeria Football Federation. But like a bad stench that refuses to dissipate, drama has returned to the Nigeria football scene.

With news of the return of Stephen Keshi as head coach of the Super Eagles making the rounds yet again, should Nigerians be over-joyed and excited or bite their nails in frustration at the new two-year contract signed by the Big Boss?

The latter, judging by the niggling uncertainties inherent in the current NFF administration, perhaps portrays the true reaction of soccer-loving Nigerians, who have waited patiently and quite painfully for the identity of the new manager.

As the case has been for a very long time, there are more questions than answers.

Why did it take so long to resolve Keshi's contract talks? And, is he the right man to lead the Super Eagles forward following the series of on and off-field wranglings? The failure of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers is also very much fresh in the mind.

Unlikely hero Hernandez saves Madrid's season - and Ancelotti's job

It was a typical opportunistic finish from Javier Hernandez. The Mexican's scuffed strike from close range slotted past two rival defenders and into an empty net. It won't win any awards, but it was enough to settle an extremely tense derby duel, save Real Madrid's stuttering season and probably Carlo Ancelotti's job as well.

Madrid came into this match having failed to beat Atleti in any of the last seven derbies disputed in 2014-15. They were depleted too as Marcelo missed out through suspension and injuries left Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema sidelined.

Without a like-for-like replacement for Benzema, Ancelotti was down to the bare bones and Chicharito, who has spent most of the season on the Bernabeu bench, was given a rare opportunity to show what he can do in place of the absent France forward.

"He can't fail," former Madrid and Mexico striker Hugo Sanchez said before this game. "If the midfield works, he will have a chance and he must take it."

And he did, albeit after missing several other opportunities. Unlike the more technical but languid figure of Benzema (who, incidentally, has scored only once in 15 appearances against Simeone's side), Chicharito was everywhere in this one, making himself a nuisance throughout.

The Mexican had given glimpses of his worth against Malaga at the Bernabeu on Saturday, setting up a goal for Cristiano Ronaldo and running tirelessly to cause problems for the visitors.

Is Another FA Cup Enough For Arsenal??

When Arsenal grafted their way to their first trophy in nine years last May, the hope among the club's supporters was that a mental barrier had been broken that would facilitate a genuine title challenge.

Almost a year on, how much has really changed?

The Gunners' dreams of a first Premier League title since 2004 were in tatters by December.

They succumbed to their usual last 16 exit in the Champions League despite a kind draw against Monaco.

And on Saturday, they repeated their Wembley wobbles of last season and needed extra-time to scrape through their FA Cup semi-final against Championship side Reading.

If Arsenal are to truly build on last season's FA Cup triumph and their form so far in 2015, then retaining the trophy next month is the bare minimum requirement to save their season when they face either Liverpool or Aston Villa in the final in May.

Otherwise, their run of 17 wins from their last 19 fixtures in all competitions means nothing.

For all the optimism around the Londoners right now, their late run has come when the title was already out of reach. While they have the psychological references to qualify for the Champions League every season, this team still needs to prove they have the mental toughness to become serial trophy winners. 

Only another FA Cup would suggest that Arsenal have made progress since Arsene Wenger signed a new three-year contract last summer.

The calls from earlier in the season for Wenger to step aside have faded away, but chief executive Ivan Gazidis reflected the sense of frustration at the club by saying last week that he was "not happy" with the campaign.

Arsenal will finish in the top four, that is certain, but even if they claim second it should count as a disappointing season if they can't win the FA Cup as well. 

An acceptance that simply qualifying for the Champions League is good enough has been part of the problem for too long. Expectations have dropped unforgivably low in north London. 

Wenger blames the World Cup and an injury crisis for Arsenal's failure to ever get near the summit of the Premier League table this season. They may be valid excuses, but they are equally wearisome.

Arsenal are close. The depth of their squad was highlighted on Saturday by the presence of the likes of Olivier Giroud, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott on the substitutes' bench while Wenger's willingness to buy big-name players in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez is paying off.

Alexis, ultimately, made the difference with both of Arsenal's goals here - the first set-up brilliantly by Ozil - to book a fourth Wembley appearance for the club in two seasons.

At their best, Arsenal play the most attractive football in the country, but they still need to show that they have the guts and resolve when it really matters.

Suarez And Neymar Take Barca Burden Off Messi

Lionel Messi will have to wait for his 400th Barcelona goal. The Argentine attacker failed to net as Luis Enrique's side stormed into a commanding lead in their quarter-final tie in Paris on Wednesday night but he won't care because, refreshingly, it was his two team-mates who took care of the scoring this time.

Barca have so often relied upon Messi in recent years - especially in the big games and particularly in Europe. But at the Parc des Princes in their first-leg game against Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar and Luis Suarez showed they are ready to provide a helping hand with important goals too when it matters most.

Neymar perhaps had a point to prove after he was surprisingly substituted by Barca boss Luis Enrique in the weekend draw at Sevilla, when he had been the best player on the pitch. And he proved that point by scoring the first following a lovely lay-off from Messi, later earning generous applause from his coach as he produced a remarkable run which almost resulted in a second. Looking tired up until his recent rest due to suspension, Neymar has returned a different player.

But Suarez stole the show. The Uruguayan, constantly questioned in his first few months as a Barca player, got off to a slow start in terms of goals at least but scored two stunning strikes in this match. The 28-year-old has now netted an impressive 18 in 33 games since signing in the summer - and the Barca trident of Messi, Suarez and Neymar is surely football's finest forward line at the moment.

"It takes time," former Barca striker Thierry Henry said of his adaptation afterwards on Sky Sports. "You can't arrive at Barcelona and not struggle to perform especially when you're used to another type of system and play. But he's clever enough to understand what he had to do and as we saw, he's a great goalscorer, a great player, with great movement."

And Suarez himself said: "We knew before the game that if we didn’t concentrate we wouldn't be able to win the game. When you play against the big teams you need concentration."
They had that and on this form Barca will take some stopping in the remainder of the competition.

Luis Enrique's side will be expected to finish the job with relative ease at Camp Nou next Tuesday and the Catalans remain on target for the treble as they have already reached the final of the Copa del Rey and lead La Liga by two points from Real Madrid.

Much of that is down to the brilliance of Messi in 2014-15, but the Argentine cannot do it all on his own and Barca are in such a strong position now because he is getting the help he needs from Suarez and Neymar. Messi is maturing into the sort of player who pulls the strings from deep, which could become his natural position once he enters his 30s. It was the role he filled for Argentina at the World Cup - imagine if they had Neymar and Suarez ahead of him?

"We were excellent not only in attack but also in defence," Luis Enrique said. "I have to congratulate the players - it was a huge win and a deserved one at that."

It certainly was and the Asturian's decision to push for the summer signing of Suarez is definitely paying dividends. As the striker settles and Neymar blossoms in his second season, it isn't only all about Messi any more - and that's the best news for Barca.

Five-Point Agenda: Making The Super Eagles Great Again

The last nine months have been a purely forgettable one for the Nigeria national team – the Super Eagles. From a second round qualification at the 2014 World Cup, the team has plunged to lows never envisaged by its throng of fervent followers and supporters.

Since the end of the World Cup in Brazil, the team has not had a substantive manager with ‘caretaking’ the order of the day as the Nigeria Football Federation dallies with the appointment or otherwise of Stephen Keshi. However, that is not the crux of this piece.

We are looking at what has happened to the team and what can and should be done to rescue it and in the same instant stop bringing heartache and headaches to her teeming supporters.

Mark Gleeson gave a simple exercise on a programme on television last week when he said, “Can you mention how many Nigerian players are playing in Europe?” He mentioned Mikel Obi, Vincent Enyeama, Ogenyi Onazi and then stopped…

Six to 10 years ago, you could start and name at least 15 players before stopping, now it is only three before you start ‘Googling’ the names and where they are presently playing.

Now what that tells you immediately is that the team does not have big names anymore. What is presently constituted are just players of average ability and even below.

So what needs to done?


Change the coaching crew

A team is almost always as good as the manager at the helm. I know some people will disagree with this point but let’s objectively look at the current setup. Over the last four years, Keshi, Daniel Amokachi and company have told us that they are rebuilding the side. However, a side that is being rebuilt is not supposed to be in this current state. You cannot perpetually be in a state of rebuilding – when are we supposed to enjoy the rebuilt side? All countries fall into the trough in which Nigeria currently finds itself but there is a process to be used to get out of that period on time even though we know there will be lots of pain to bear.


Get a manager that understands youth development

Not all coaches have the penchant or the patience to blood youngsters and stay with their choices. So it is not a crime – people like Jose Mourinho do not have time for fledglings, they want fully formed players that understand and can key in to their strategies. Keshi seems to be a manager like this and so in this reproductive stage, he will be found wanting.


Promote the young players immediately

Since we can never be a 100% sure of the ages of the players in the lower cadre national teams, the ones that have shown promise, especially in the U-20 setup should be promoted immediately into the senior team. There is no need of waiting for them to ‘mature’. Let them get experience and playing mentality understudying and playing with their more experienced seniors and spend more time playing in the national team.



The NFF must have a cogent process of ‘selling’ our players

We cannot continue to delude ourselves on the basis of cash inducements. Why did the NFF allow Kelechi Iheanacho to sign for Manchester City? It was foolhardy to say the least. When would he be able to force his way into a cash-laden team like City, who can buy the best players? He and the country would have been better served signing for clubs like Anderlecht, Ajax, Montpellier, etc., there he would have had the opportunity to quickly develop.

The U-17 World Cup winner shone for City during pre-season, where his display ensured that a player like John Guidetti was sent out on loan to Celtic of Scotland. But that kind of loan would have benefited the precociously gifted Nigerian, but we do not even know what he is doing today.


Monitor, sift and monitor again

The restructuring and building of a new national team that we can all be proud of must be seen as a project. And as a project progresses, there will always be the need to evaluate constantly. There are players that will fall off the grid and there are others that will jump into the limelight. So the Technical Department of the NFF has serious tasks to accomplish, rather the time-wasting exercise of training match readers. There is data software available to help do whatever monitoring is required.



In all the above, there will be things that need to be added and variations and corrections that will have to be made as we go on and that is why a proficient NFF is needed to accomplish the tasks that have to be accomplished. In all this I have not mentioned the local leagues because they are already in a systemic failure stage.

So let us use the blueprint developed by the German Football Federation, through which they regenerated their national side by creating the kind of footballers that fitted their plan. We can go the same way if we are determined and ready to pay the price!

Juventus' Lead Is More Comfortable Than It Looks

COMMENT: The Bianconeri's slender lead should be enough to tee up another successful passage, with the second leg likely to play into their hands

It was not all thrills and spills, and it wasn’t always convincing, but Juventus’ 1-0 first-leg victory over Monaco in the Champions League quarter-final was as satisfying as any they have chalked up in recent years. A slender lead it may be, but it feels a hell of a lot like a winning one.

After the unabated joy that the 3-0 away win over Borussia Dortmund provided in their last European fixture, this was an altogether edgier performance as Juve took their time in overcoming the principality side.

But that was always going to be the case against a reserved, contemplative Monaco outfit for whom goalscoring has often been considered more a bonus than a necessity this season. With just 46 goals in 40 games across Ligue 1 and the Champions League, Leonardo Jardim’s men are hardly bursting with potential in front of goal.

And while Massimiliano Allegri will have been somewhat concerned with the two good chances offered up to Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco in the first half and another allowed to Bernardo Silva after the break, he will know that one more goal in the second leg should be enough to take Juventus into the semi-finals.

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Whereas the previous round’s narrow home victory left a sense of nervousness in the air, with Dortmund having scored an away goal and built a historic case for not being written off, this one felt very much like the completion of the hardest part of the job.

Juve looked for a fast start, with Alvaro Morata firing over after a nice move, but were quickly rocked onto their heels when Monaco showed the capabilities on the break which had seen off Arsenal in the round of 16. After Layvin Kurzawa was given plenty of space to shoot on sight and Ferreira-Carrasco twice forced good saves out of Gianluigi Buffon, the Bianconeri realigned their expectations.

They became more considered, realising the necessity to patiently turn possession into clear chances rather than play at the higher pace which is normally their emblem. Rushed attempts to get in behind the Monegasques’ back line only resulted in the turnover of the ball.

Andrea Pirlo was not quite up to pace, but was in his element as Monaco retreated and gave him time to pick out passes. Carlos Tevez spurned a great opportunity at the far post after a wonderful build-up had allowed Claudio Marchisio to pick him out with a cross-field ball. Arturo Vidal was busy but also wasteful as he fired over late in the first half when it appeared easier to score.

He eventually did find the net after the controversial moment which defined the match. Alvaro Morata blazed through to meet a typically pinpoint Pirlo through-ball but was clipped by Ricardo Carvalho.

As the last man in a clear goal-scoring opportunity, the Portuguese should have been shown the red card but was instead booked. As if to negate the first incorrect decision, referee Pavel Kralovec also pointed to the penalty spot despite the initial impact having taken place outside the box. In fairness, at full speed, it was a close call.

Either way, Vidal’s successful spot-kick was always likely to be enough. Rather than throw everything at their opponents in the search for a killer second, Juve happily accepted the 1-0 lead and took no further chance. They know they are better than Monaco, and what’s more they are clearly convinced of revelling in the conditions the second leg will provide.

As they proved in Dortmund, the slightest sign of the game opening up can only be positive news for Juventus. They have far more firepower, look much more deadly in open space and press much more urgently than Monaco.

One-goal leads have often been proved to be insufficient at this stage of the Champions League, but this one feels very different. It will take a minor miracle to stop Juventus reaching the semi-finals now.