Taking into account how much the drama surrounding Vincent Enyeama’s retirement from international football dominated the build-up, it was fitting that Nigeria’s friendly against DR Congo looked like a kick-about in a neighbour’s backyard.
Vise, with a sparse terrace and small-sized playing surface, is hardly suited to international football. Then again, this is Nigeria, a proud footballing nation whose stock has never been lower. Even granting that, it feels unusual to be beaten so resoundingly by the Leopards; every international window, like the Biblical Samson, a teeming mass of passionate fans expect to shake themselves as in the old days, only to find their lovely locks shaven off.
Having started brightly, Sunday’s Oliseh’s charges gave themselves away with costly defensive errors; first William Troost-Ekong got caught out by a fine reverse pass from the flamboyant Yannick Bolasie, allowing Dieumerci Mbokani the space to turn into and fire across Carl Ikeme. Then, the entire defence had a frustrating lapse, allowing DRC midfielder Jordan Nkololo to run on to a square pass and tap home from close range.
All eyes were on Ikeme, but the goalkeeper was exposed by his defence
There seems little in concrete terms that Oliseh has impressed upon this team since his appointment. The familiar depressing hallmarks of the late-era Keshi management are still visible in tell-tale footprints: a lack of defensive fortitude, for one thing (as I wrote earlier in the week, this is down to a lack of leadership for Nigeria following the retirement of Joseph Yobo)—here, the experimental pairing of Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun were guilty of multiple errors, with the former in particular doing nothing to convince that he is dependable enough for this level of football.
The attacking edge remains dull as well, with first Odion Ighalo and then Emmanuel Emenike forced to feed off scraps. If we’re being uncharitable, one might point out that even at the nadir of the Big Boss’s regime, his Eagles still scored goals – 11 in his final seven games. Oliseh has coaxed two in three; the obvious question then is: if he isn’t immediately setting about improving the defence, or coming up with plays to pep up the attack, what exactly is he doing?
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To strain for the positive, it is without doubt that John Obi Mikel had his best game for the national team in quite some time.
Always on the move, drifting into wide positions to offer passing options, and then into attacking zones to force the play, he looked a man reinvigorated. These are however not new facets to the Chelsea midfielder’s game; what was on display was the sort of fierce hunger that has perhaps been cooled by his cushy brief at Stamford Bridge.
Eager to impress the new coach in the dugout? Maybe, but considering the manner in which the captain’s armband – a subject of contention all of a sudden - was passed around like a hot potato, with the 27-year-old visibly turning it down, perhaps it is more accurate to say he played with a chip on his shoulder.
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Is it sufficient then that, in three months of managing the Super Eagles, Oliseh has stumbled upon the ideal way to motivate the team’s most naturally-talented player? Is that worth the uncertainty and tension that has enveloped the camp, with World Cup qualifying to kick off in a month and Egypt holding the whip hand in Afcon 2017 qualifying?
So far, there is not a lot to suggest that the 41-year-old has a slew of new ideas to implement. Keshi was not a tactical genius by any stretch, but he could at least present a united camp, pulling in a common direction. Oliseh has divvied up the team into a morass of discordant interests, and seems unable to improve its basic components.
Cameroon on Sunday will tell us more.
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