At the level of playing for a world-class team like the Super Eagles, and given the quality of players fighting for shirts, you would expect that players of the very highest quality and performance would ever star or start in this team. This is a team that should have no place at all for any mediocre. Only the best among the best should even be on the bench, not to talk of starting the game.
The way Yakubu gives away neatly made balls (by his teammates) tohis opponents is appalling to say the least. For example, in the Super Eagles’ third game at the Nations Cup against Mozambique, Yakubu played for over 60 minutes of the game before he was substituted. In that game, Yakubu received 14 balls from his teammates (these are balls that really got to him within the game), among those, on only occasions did he made good use of the ball or pass to his teammates for further play, on the nine other occasions, he either miscontrolled, mispassed, or just blatantly gave the ball away in waste to his opponents. This analysis could be investigated by simply playing back that video. This means 64% of the time, Yakubu wastes or balls given to him by his teammates. Is this the quality or performance you want from the top-striker of the team that is supposed to be of the highest standards in Africa and the world at large? And the issue is this, it’s not that that was an off-day performance for him (even the very world-class strikers such as the Ronaldo Lima, C. Ronaldo, Alberto Torres, Sam Eto’o all have their off-day periods sometime), for Yakubu, that is continual performance and result over time now! But the big riddle is that the coaches continue to use, and will not even substitute him within a game.
The great strikers of the today’s world are high-efficiency strikers, strikers that score one out of one chance, players who make the best and precise use of every ball that comes to them, near 100%-efficiency players and strikers, that is what the Super Eagles need. Not players who waste 9 out 14 balls passed to them as their usual performance in the team. That by all fair standards is a poor performance.
That is why the Super Eagles have greatly missed Julius Aghahowa, Aghahowa does not need a chance before he scores goals, he chases balls, charges defenders and goalkeepers, and aims the net at any minute opportunity, that was why he scored many goals out of obscure and remote balls or chances, that is what a striker is, not the one who gives away begging chances which the team many never see the like of it again till the end of that match.
Yakubu never threatens defences and goalkeepers, he just dances up and down the pitch, showing and shaking his big backside. Be never fires shots, doesn’t dribble past defenders, wasted a begging chance made for him by the midfield against Benin (one-on-one with the keeper), wasted another such in the 38th against when a Mozambican defender gifted him with a loose ball.
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