Brazil 2014: Who joins Enyeama, Ejide in goal?

Goalkeepers Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide seem to have booked their places in the Super Eagles squad for the 2014 World Cup but there may be a tough fight for the keepers’ third spot at the Mundial, reports ’TANA AIYEJINA

If there is a department that gladdens coach Stephen Keshi’s heart ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it is definitely going to be the goalkeeping section.

Even though the coach has consistently insisted that no player is guaranteed a place yet in his squad for the World Cup, it is obvious that there would almost certainly be no vacancy in the goalkeeping department.

A roadside football analyst will tell you ‘authoritatively’ that Keshi’s first choice between the sticks in Brazil will be no other than Lille’s Vincent Enyeama with Hapoel Be’er Sheva keeper Austin Ejide deputising.

Both keepers no doubt have been Nigeria’s best in the last decade and are among Africa’s best at the moment. Enyeama has received the nod of most of the coaches of the national team within this period.

Regular playing time, consistency, clean sheets are some of the criteria every coach would be at looking at in the keepers that would make their teams to the Mundial.

If there is a department that gladdens coach Stephen Keshi’s heart ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it is definitely going to be the goalkeeping section.

Even though the coach has consistently insisted that no player is guaranteed a place yet in his squad for the World Cup, it is obvious that there would almost certainly be no vacancy in the goalkeeping department.

A roadside football analyst will tell you ‘authoritatively’ that Keshi’s first choice between the sticks in Brazil will be no other than Lille’s Vincent Enyeama with Hapoel Be’er Sheva keeper Austin Ejide deputising.

Both keepers no doubt have been Nigeria’s best in the last decade and are among Africa’s best at the moment. But Enyeama has received the nod of most of the coaches of the national team within this period.

Regular playing time, consistency, clean sheets are some of the criteria every coach would be at looking at in the keepers that would make their teams to the Mundial.

Enyeama and Ejide no doubt fit this bill perfectly and would—barring any last minute occurrence – certainly be Keshi’s first two names on the list.

“Between now and the World Cup period, anything can still happen. Again, we don’t pray for any bad thing to happen. Right now, two of them (Enyeama and Ejide) are sure bets for the World Cup,” Eagles goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorunmu, said.

Joseph Dosu, who was in goal when Nigeria won the football gold at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, says Enyeama and Ejide have given the technical crew less work to do.

He said, “The most important thing is the first and second choices. We have good keepers in them, so there is no need to panic.”

Vincent Enyeama

Lille shot stopper Enyeama has been among Europe’s best keepers this season. He has kept in all 32 of third-placed Lille’s Ligue 1 games this term and he is the major reason the French side are in contention for a place in Europe next season.

In December, the former Enyimba keeper broke Paris Saint Germain’s Salvatore Sirigu’s 2012 record of 950 minutes without conceding a goal in the Ligue 1.

Enyeama was closing in on the overall Ligue 1 record of 1176 minutes held by Gaetan Huard for Bordeaux during the 1992-93 season, before an own goal by his teammate, Simon Kjaer, ended his impressive run in 1, 062 minutes.

His unbeaten successive run spanned 11 matches while overall, he’s kept a clean slate in 19 Ligue 1 games and conceded just 20 goals in 32 appearances.

“Enyeama remains Eagles number one keeper,” Shorunmu said.

“He has been part of the team for a very long time and he has World Cup experience. Nobody knows what will happen between now and the beginning of the World Cup but right now, Enyeama remains our number one goalkeeper,” Shorunmu, Enyeama’s teammate at the 2002 World Cup, added.

Austin Ejide

Although Austin Ejide has been virtually ever-present in the Nigerian squad since first playing for the Super Eagles in 2002, his playing time has been limited due to the presence of Enyeama.

The 30-year-old Hapoel Be’er Sheva shot stopper has had to struggle to displace the Eagles’ regular number one with few success.

A veteran of two FIFA World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations, Ejide has played just four matches in all at these competitions.

That was during the 2008 AFCON in Ghana, when the then Nigeria coach Berti Vogts preferred him to Enyeama, saying he wanted Ejide’s height and strength.

But after then, he returned to his back-up role and was an unused substitute when Nigeria won their third continental title at the AFCON in South Africa in 2013.

This season, Ejide has kept a clean slate in 13 out of 29 games, conceding 22 goals in the Israeli topflight. In the games he has played for Nigeria recently, the friendly matches against Italy and Mexico, he put up a good performance, to the delight of his compatriots back home.

Shorunmu said, “It was like that (rivalry between Enyeama and Ejide) during my time when we had Peter Rufai, Aloy Agu, Wilfred Agbonavbare and I contesting for the number one place in the national team.

“The good thing is that in Ejide, we have a very good back-up for Enyeama. The chance is there for him to grab, after all we tried Ejide in Ghana six years ago as first choice. The truth is that, this is Enyeama’s time but Ejide is a very good keeper as well.”

Chigozie Agbim

Gombe United’s Chigozie Agbim has been Keshi’s preferred third choice in goal and even though he hasn’t enjoyed much playing time, he was part of the national team’s triumph at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 African Nations Championship, where he was first choice.

But a below par performance at the CHAN has seen critics calling for the invitation of more keepers to fight for the keepers’ third position.

“Agbim didn’t perform well at CHAN and this was partly due to the fact that he has not been very active since last season; his performance in South Africa exposed how unprofessional he could be at the top level,” football analyst, Bimbo Adeola, said.

“If he cannot perform well, then I don’t see any reason why he should be in the team to the World Cup. We should look at other keepers instead.”

Shorunmu, however still sticks with his goalkeeper.

“I don’t know the criteria they used in judging him (Agbim) at the CHAN. After the tournament, we discovered that the rate of goals he saved were more than those he conceded. We need to encourage our keepers rather than discourage them,” he said.

“He put up some fantastic displays later in the tournament and that is what a coach is looking for. We knew Agbim had a lot of potential. Fine, he didn’t do well during the early stage of the tournament but as the tournament progressed, he improved and did well. If he can continue like this, the sky is his limit.”

Others

Morokwa Swallows’ Greg Etafia has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the South African topflight league in about a decade but he has not been given a consideration by Keshi.

In the domestic league, Enyimba’s Femi Thomas, Theophilus Afelokhai of champions Kano Pillars, Sunshine Stars’ Moses Ocheje, Ambrose Vanzekin (Warri Wolves), Daniel Akpeyi and old warhorse Chijioke Ejiogu have been impressive between the sticks for their various clubs.

There is also 2013 U-17 world champions, Golden Eaglets’ keeper Dele Alampasu. The young keeper was third choice at CHAN.

Shorunmu admits that the coaches were still shopping for more safe hands but he declined to mention any name.

“For sure, we are looking at some home-based keepers closely but I can’t give their names,” he said.

But Adeola feels on current form, Ejiogu should get the nod of the national selectors.

He said, “Last season, Thomas was impressive and we were shocked that he wasn’t picked for CHAN. But don’t forget that he was given the big stick after Enyimba’s poor outing in the CAF Champions League.

“Ejiogu is good but his only problem is indiscipline. Afelokhai too played a big role in Pillars winning the domestic title last season. He should get a look-in.

“But I think if Ejiogu sheds his indiscipline, he should get a look-in for the third keepers’ position. On current form, he is not doing badly while he has been consistent for a very long time on the domestic scene.”

For Dosu, Etafia and Israel-based Dele Aiyenugba will bring more competition for the fight for the keepers’final spot to the World Cup.

“Etafia has been there before right from junior to senior levels. He is one of the best in South Africa for a long time. Aiyenugba was once in the team, which is good. They need to pick everyone that’s good so that they can get the right person for the keepers’ third slot in the team,” Dosu said.

Some critics say at 1.87m, stocky Agbim is not tall enough to man the posts at the World Cup, arguing that technically gifted strikers could exploit the height disadvantage but Dosu disagrees.

He said, “If they say Agbim didn’t do very well at the last CHAN, fine. But they shouldn’t bring the height issue into this. If you look at the team’s first two keepers, they are not too tall but they have been doing very well.

“How many keepers in the domestic league have good height apart from Thomas? Ejiogu is not very tall too. Agbim has done well for the national team before and a poor CHAN performance doesn’t mean we should exclude him from the team.”