Former Nigeria international defender Taribo West has given his take on the current defenders in the senior national team of Nigeria under the tutelage of coach Gernot Rohr.
West who played for Nigeria from 1994 to 2003 rated the defenders in a telephone conversation with Owngoalnigeria.com. In his statement Rohr presently has five good defenders to select from namely William Troost-Ekong, Semi Ajayi, Leon Balogun and Kenneth Omeruo.
” The coach is blessed to have a whole lot of options in key area like defence. Now the challenge is to find a way to use them for the good of the team which is most times not easy at all”, he said.
” Balogun to me is still very relevant. He can play from the back with ease. Read and intercepts play smartly. Among the present guys he is the only one who can move into the opponent’s box with the ball at his feet with confidence. That is no doubt a plus as it allows the offensive players to move deep into the opposition’s half .
” Ekong has really grown in the past few years with the way he moved from Belgium to Italy in less than two years. There are still some grey areas in his game but in terms of consistency he is one of the guys who has been there for club and country. So he is to me the leader in the defence.
” Omeruo is solid but not really the kind of a player who can lead the defence. The two years in Laliga has really helped him. I love his performance at the Africa Cup of Nations and hope to see him perform at same level in the national team.
” Awaziem is a centre back that has a lot in store but he really hasn’t deliver in central defence for Nigeria but at his club he is solid. Let’s say playing as a full back in the national team has boosted his confidence, maybe he can now push for a central defence spot.
” Semi Ajayi is the man of the moment. Confident and very imposing. His aerial strength is the best in the team from what I have seen so far. He looks the best fit for Ekong in terms of what they both offer but Balogun has done well with same Ekong in the past. It’s a nice headache to have as a coach”, West concluded.
Osas Mahawi
