Keshi hails Onazi's maturity

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Stephen Keshi expressed his pride at the performance of his charges in the 2-2 draw with Italy at Fulham Football Club's compact Craven Cottage.
"We played on saturday, travelled rather quickly, arriving London yesterday(sunday) and playing tonight(monday), I am really proud of the players and the character they displayed"
Nigeria made wholesale changes from the team that brushed aside Ethiopia in Calabar to book a place in next year's football summit in Brazil. Mikel, Moses, Oboabona and Onazi the starters from Saturday.
The Italians started like a house on fire as Keshi thought they would "we told them that Italy will want to overwhelm us with intricate play and I must admit that initially the players were nervous" After Italy took the lead instead of the makeshift Nigerian side to cave in they grew in stature "I have always maintained that I have players with great belief in their qualities and they started to show it as that first half wore on".
Bright Dike and Shola Ameobi got the goals that Nigeria's play had merited but Stephen Keshi paid tribute to Ogenyi Onazi's form and general play .
"A lot of people asked me questions why I believed so much in him when I called him into the squad. He has come on greatly in the last one year I have to say, always improving, always demanding for the ball, showing for team mates in trouble and showing high tactical awareness in the heat of the battle. Like many of his team mates he is only going to get better" Keshi said
What was obvious at the start of the match was the difference in physique between both sides with the Italians clearly bigger. The team that Stephen Keshi played for in the world cup back in '94 were huge physical specimens. So was the coach worried that the team might suffer during the world cup coming up against bigger opponents.
"Not one bit" the AFCON winning coach smiled. "What is paramount is how intelligent a footballer is and I have many intelligent footballers playing for Nigeria currently. They will be fine"
It was a friendly but the match was played at such intensity and pace one will would have thought there was a trophy or points at stake. What has the coach learnt from this game going into the world cup?
"For me it is more about my players getting more confident and being able to express their obvious abilities against the so called big football nations. It is something I keep trying to pass across to them that when they are on the field, they are as good as the opponents sometimes even better. We will not be hiding in Brazil I promise Nigerians that"

Roy Hodgson with Joe Hart © Gallo Images

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No England start for Hart v Chile

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Under-fire goalkeeper Joe Hart will not start England's international friendly against Chile at Wembley Stadium, manager Roy Hodgson said on Thursday.
Hart has found himself on the sidelines lately at Manchester City after some high-profile errors, but has continued to receive backing from Hodgson.
However, with the England manager determined to find out more about his squad ahead of next year's World Cup, Hodgson has decided to leave Hart out – although he did leave open the possibility he might feature at some point during the game.
Hodgson, speaking at the squad's hotel in Watford, north of London, refused to say whether Celtic's highly-rated Fraser Forster or Norwich City's John Ruddy would be in goal come kick-off against Chile on Friday.
"Joe Hart won't be starting the game tomorrow night, but I'll let you work out yourself who will," Hodgson told a news conference.
However, he did confirm that Frank Lampard would captain the side in the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard.
Hodgson also confirmed that Lampard would receive a commemorative golden cap from Geoff Hurst, the hat-trick hero of England's 1966 World Cup final win, and his father, Frank Lampard senior, for having made a hundred international appearances – a feat he achieved against Ukraine in September.
Both Hurst and Lampard senior, who won two England caps as a defender, played for West Ham United, the east London club where Lampard junior started his career.
"I don't intend to reveal the team, but it's a pleasure to say that Frank will be leading the team out. He'll be receiving his 100th cap from his father and Sir Geoff Hurst," Hodgson said.
Lampard said: "It will be a very special moment for me. To win 100 caps was a long time coming and I've seen gold caps given to Stevie (Gerrard) and Ashley (Cole) and the idea of Sir Geoff being involved came from the FA, but it's one I'm very happy with.
"I requested my dad was involved as well and he will be very proud."
Hodgson added: "We've lost Rickie Lambert to a muscle problem. It will keep him out of the game on Friday and possibly out of the Germany game (at Wembley on Tuesday)."
However, Hodgson said striker Lambert's uncapped Southampton teammates Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana would "play some part" against Chile.
Gerrard is expected to return against Germany along with Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker, while Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is also likely to sit out the Chile match.
"Gerrard and Kyle Walker won't be taking any part (against Chile) and that has always been on my agenda," Hodgson said.
"They will recover from minor injury problems that have plagued them and will concentrate on the second game and not the first one.
"Daniel has been doing some work and the chances are he will be spared for the second game."
England last met Chile at Wembley 15 years ago, when a brace of goals from striker Marcelo Salas gave the South Americans a 2-0 win.
With a nine-game unbeaten run to protect, Chile are likely to provide strong opposition, but Hodgson says he is more interested in assessing the depth of his squad than avoiding defeat.
"I've got to put the performances in front of protecting an unbeaten run," said the former Liverpool manager, whose team have not lost in 2013.
"There's only these two matches plus the one in March (against Denmark) to do that. I can't dismiss the need to give some playing time to people we need to know more about."

Source: #supersport.com

Job offers flood in for Keshi

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In February of this year Stephen Keshi led the super eagles to reclaim the African cup of Nations after a 19 year gap. He achieved this by taking to the tournament one of the most inexperienced sides Nigeria has taken to an Afcon tournament since he was the skipper of the 1984 side.
In many countries this achievement will translate into financial rewards and great planning and structure for the team. Not Nigeria. Stephen Keshi and his technical crew have not been paid salaries for the last 7 months.
"It is the love that I have for my country that has kept me in this place ever since," Keshi said to supersport.com when asked why he is putting up with this.
"I go outside into the shops and markets and ordinary Nigerians in the streets are thanking me and asking God to continue to bless me. It humbles me. It makes me realise the responsibilities I have to these people and I keep at the job. I also have a fantastic group of young footballers, who I sincerely do not want to abandon at this moment," Keshi said.
As a successful coach he is not shy of suitors. "Oh I have four offers on the table for me that will triple my wages but because of the reasons I have given I have told those offers to please go elsewhere."
Stephen Keshi is patently unhappy with the furore that the bonus created. "Where else in this world do you hear or read of a successful team having their bonuses slashed? When one thinks about it like that it shows how incongruous the whole thing looks really. Ghana players were on $15 000 per man to beat Egypt while the Egyptians were on $25 000 per man, yet the African Champions are being offered $5 000. That is Nigerian football administration sense.
"My players are just determined to play in the World Cup. That is why they really don't care so much even though they know what happens in other countries"
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are 90 minutes away from World Cup qualification following a 2-1 first-leg lead over Ethiopia. The second leg takes place in Calabar on 16 November.

Source: >supersport.com<