2013/14 season: Scorecard of Nigerian strikers

2013/14 season: Scorecard of Nigerian strikers

Posted by Sylvester on Sunday, April 6, 2014 0

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There have been concerns over the poor output of Nigerian strikers in Europe. ’TANA AIYEJINA reviews the performances of some of the country’s top strikers

There are few more matches to be played before the end of the European season in May. The goals have come in double figures for top strikers in the top leagues of Europe but concerns have been raised over the output of Nigerian strikers.

Nigerian Strikers: Anichebe, Odemwingie and Emenike

 In the English Premier League, Uruguayan Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has amassed 29 goals in 27 matches while Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, has 28 goals in 27 matches in La Liga. Argentine star, Lionel Messi, has 23 goals to his name in 24 matches for Barcelona with PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic topping the charts in the French Ligue 1 with 25 goals in 30 matches.

However, Nigerian strikers have not had it so rosy in front of goal. Villareal striker, Ikechukwu Uche, is the only Nigerian player playing in Europe’s top league to have hit double figures this season.

Stoke City’s Osaze Odemwingie seems to be enjoying a rich vein of form in the EPL after a torrid time at the beginning of the season but he has managed just seven goals in all competitions.

Former Flying Eagles star, Stanley Ohawuchi, who plays for Sliema Wanderers in Malta, is Nigeria’s highest goal scorer in Europe this season with 19 goals.

DAILYNEWS9JA learnt that Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi is not happy with the output of his strikers at the club level. A team source told our correspondent that the coach addressed the issue with the players after last month’s friendly match against Mexico in Atlanta, USA.

“Keshi told the strikers to start scoring or forget about going to Brazil,” our source, who pleaded anonymity, said.

Below is a review of how some of the country’s strikers have fared so far.

Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United, one goal)

Someone once said, “If there is something Shola Ameobi knows how to do well; it is definitely not goals scoring.” That’s not a complimentary word for a striker, whose job is to bang in goals consistently. Ameobi has not really been the 15-goal a season striker since he became a first team member of his boyhood club Newcastle United in 2000.

This season, the 32-year-old Ameobi has one Capital One Cup goal to his credit but he is yet to score for the Magpies in  20 Premier League and two FA Cup appearances.

The goals may not come aplenty for Ameobi season-in-season-out but his calm composure and great team spirit has endeared him to Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and Eagles manager Stephen Keshi.

At international level, he has proven he can rise to the big occasion. Against Italy in a friendly game last year in London, the Kogi-born big striker scored a fantastic goal for the Eagles in the 2-2 draw.

Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce, 12 goals)

Emenike has scored 12 goals in 22 games in the Turkish Super Lig, with all goals coming from open play. The fifth top scorer in Turkey had scored three goals in four matches for Russian side Spartak Moscow before he moved to Turkey. The 26-year-old was out for a while with injury but when fully fit, Emenike can wreak havoc on the best of defences.

Imoh Ezekiel (Standard Liege, 10 goals)

Last season, 20-year-old Standard Liege forward Ezekiel scored 16 league goals. This season, he has 10 to his credit in 30 matches in all competitions for the Belgian club.

Ezekiel is a promising striker highly rated in Belgium. Last year, Liege handed the former 36 Lions striker an improved contract until 2017. In fact, he was offered Belgian citizenship to make him eligible to play for their national team, but his father convinced him to turn it down. He made his Nigeria debut last month, coming on for Liverpool’s Victor Moses in the second half of the friendly game against Mexico in the US.

Victor Anichebe (West Brom, three goals)

When Anichebe joined West Bromwich Albion from Everton this season, most of his followers were anxious to see how he would cope at the Baggies.

He has managed just three goals and three assists for the Baggies ths term. Two of the goals were against Liverpool and Chelsea, a testament that he can score against the best defenders. Last season, he scored eight goals in all competitions.

His career has been blighted by injuries and probably a move from Everton might bring him better fortune. But he’s not been spared at the Hawthorns; West Brom were without the injured 25-year-old for the crucial relegation clash with Cardiff last weekend.

Ikechukwu Uche (Villarreal, 12 goals)

Uche is Nigeria’s most prolific striker this season, grabbing 12 goals in the highly competitive La Lgia.

Uche is always business-like, tricky, dangerous, very intelligent and packs a shot in both legs. He has been a key player for the Yellow Submarines right from when they were in the Spanish Segunda division.

 The 30-year-old player surprisingly has been excluded by Nigeria’s coach from his squad after a poor outing at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations despite being the team’s top scorer during the qualifiers for the tournament.

“People would make a lot of comments, people would say a lot of things but I don’t need him (Uche), period,” Keshi concluded on the player recently.

Osaze  Odemwingie (Stoke City, seven goals)

Osaze no doubt is Nigeria’s most in-form striker at the moment and he has Stoke manager, Mark Hughes, to thank for the confidence he reposed in him.

A fall-out with West Brom last season didn’t do him any good, and in four months, he had changed three clubs first from West Brom to Cardiff City in September 2013 and then to Stoke in January.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medalist has scored seven goals in total this season: six for Stoke in nine games and one for Cardiff.

At international level, he was also banished from the Eagles after he made unpleasant statements about coach Stephen Keshi and other officials of the Nigeria Football Federation.

Keshi confirmed recently that the ex-Lokomotiv Moscow had apologised for his actions. If he keeps up scoring, he would most likely make a return to the Eagles and hopefully earn a place on the trip to Brazil for the World Cup in June.

Michael Uchebo (Cercle Brugge, five goals)

Cercle Brugge big striker Uchebo has managed five goals and one assist in 27 matches. The 23-year-old former VVV Venlo forward was once likened to Nigerian legend, Nwankwo Kanu, by Dutch magazine, Voetbal International.

Uchebo has skills reminiscent of Kanu but what distinguishes him even further is his physical presence on the pitch and his off-the-ball running and positioning.

The former Enugu Rangers and Flying Eagles star made his Nigeria debut against Mexico last month.

Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev, seven goals)

Though Mohawk wearing Ideye has notched  seven goals for Dynamo Kiev this term—two in the Europa Cup, two in the league and three in the Ukraine Cup— but he has been criticised for his low output for the national team.

His continuous invitations for Eagles’ high-profile games have kept many followers of the team wondering the criteria for his inclusion in the team but coach Stephen Keshi may not change his mind soon.

Keshi said recently, “Apart from scoring, Brown Ideye works hard for the Super Eagles. His positioning and tactical play is helpful in the team. Most of us that are not tactically-inclined will not see these, what we want is for him to put the ball in the net.

“But if a player scores and doesn’t work for the team, it causes more problems for the team. Ideye is doing well and I know when he starts scoring for Nigeria he will not stop.”

Michael Eneramo (Karabukspor, five goals)

Eneramo has five goals to his name in the Turkish league. The fast-paced and powerful striker is on loan to Karabukspor from Besiktas. Eneramo made name for himself at Esperance, where he was nicknamed The Tank because of his physical strength and workaholic attitude on the pitch.

The 28-year-old moved to Turkey in 2011 to join Sivasspor, where he scored 29 goals in 77 matches. He signed for Besiktas last year and managed just one goal in four outings before he went on loan to Karabukspor.

Sylvester Igboun (Midtjylland, seven goals)

Igboun netted his seventh goal of the season against Randers last Sunday in the Danish topflight league to end his nine-match goal-drought for the Wolves, which dates back to October 26, 2013.

With nine rounds of matches left before the end of the Danish Superliga, the 23-year-old would break his record number of goals in a season if he finds the back of the net two more times.

Igboun joined Midtjylland in 2006 from Lagos side Ebedei FC and the 23-year-old has been a fans favourite with his goal scoring and assists.

Victor Obinna (Chievo Verona, no goal)

Obinna joined Chievo Verona on the deadline day of the January transfer window and has played six Serie A games with no goals scored. He also failed to score in three goals outings for Dynamo Moscow before he moved on loan to Italy.

The return of the Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medalist to the national team has kept many baffled.

Stanley Ohawuchi (Sliema, 19 goals)

Former Flying Eagles striker Stanley Ohawuchi has scored 19 goals for Sliema Wanderers in Malta, making him Nigeria’s highest goals scorer in Europe. He is joint top scorer in Malta with Hibernians’ Brazilian striker Edison Luis dos Santos.

Ohawuchi, who scored six goals in eight games last season, grabbed a brace on the opening day of the season 4-0 win over Qormi and hasn’t looked back. He is set to surpass his personal target of 20 goals this season.

The Nigerian striker’s fine form for his club earned him the Player of the Month for September 2013 by the Maltese Premier League.

Abiola Dauda (R/Star Belgrade, 13 goals)

Dauda was a household name in Sweden before joining Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade in February 2013. He managed four goals last season but he has been amazing this term, hitting target 13 times.

Media reports say 26-year-old Dauda, who carries a Swedish Passport after seven years in the country, may dump Nigeria for Sweden

However, he has been snubbed by coaches of both countries despite superlative performances for Red Star.

Marco Tagbajumi (Ermis, 13 goals)

Tagbajumi is joint-second highest goals scorer in the Cypriot topflight with 13 goals. The little-known 25-year-old striker has been enjoying a rich vein of form, scoring four goals in five games in February.

Born on July 1, 1988 in Port Harcourt to an Italian father and a Nigerian mother, Tagbajumi has pledged his international future to the Super Eagles.

He had previously played for AD Camacha (Portugal) and Cypriot second division teams Akritas and Apep.