Is this Nigeria's Best Defence in History?

 For a very long time, the achilles heel of Nigeria has been the defence. You always feared when teams attacked and it was always a weakness you had to expect. The best defender for Nigeria in my opinion is still Uche Okechukwu. The less said about Taribo West, the better...although he was great in 1996.

But with the partnership of Omeruo and Oboabona, who both had a superb understanding in the middle of defence in the Nations Cup as well as the free-running wing backs of Echiejile and Ambrose, it is a whole new look defence. Apart from the great attacking combinations of Moses, Mikel, Emenike and Mba...it was the consistency of the defence and the discipline instilled by Keshi was a CRUCIAL reason for the success.

It's not all rosy. Keshi still needs to teach the young boys how to NOT be sucsceptible to the counter-attack as they were done against Uruguay. Also, to know how to mark their men and have better concentration, which was exploited by Spain. These are things that need to be worked on, but what exists there is still very promising. Remember, even the great attacks like Brazil still had stout defenders who could DEFEND whatever lead they had.

So it is very important that these four boys, whenever healthy, are kept playing together. The chemistry is slowly and surely growing and the hope is that in the next four years, when Russia 2014 arrives, mistakes and lapses in concentration will be kept at a minimum. The need for continuity is a key aspect not only to a defence but to a team.

There you have it. Let's be clear that the defence is not perfect yet, but I am liking what I am seeing. There is a rhythm that is growing and a trust with the back four. It's now up to Keshi to refine it and continue to perfect this young backline and make them the QUARTER OF POWER like the old Italy teams that had the IMPENETRABLE WALL. We wait and see..


HH