WILL SUPER EAGLES WIN NATIONS CUP ?

Is Berti Vogt's army good enough to give Nigeria it's third Nations Cup trophy ? As a patriot the answer will always be yes,but I have my fears.I witnessed our triumphs in 1980 and 1994, and still remember vividly that the feeling of an imminent victory was palpable even before those tournaments kicked off.That does not existt in this case.Why?

In 1980 we had a solid team on ground long before the tournament.Every single position from 1 to 11 had an estalished custodian whom Nigerians had come to have confidence in: Ema Okala in goal,Chairman Chukwu at the heart of the defence, Mathematical Odegbami and Chief Justice Adokie on the wings.Even the players on the bench were good enough to play whenever the need arose,which was why coach Otto Gloria could mesmerise the Algerians in the final with a novelty combination of two natural left-wingers Adokie and Felix Owolabi.

Tunisia 94 was no different.Clemence Westerhoff's four-year team construction had matured.Amunike,Amokachi,Okechukwu,Yekini,Finidi and the rest were already feared as a deadly bunch throughout the continent before Nations Cup began,so winning the trophy was only a confirmation of their supremacy.

With Vogts army nobody has a clue of the character of the team.The man most likely to lead the attack,Yakubu,as recent as two months ago did not even seem to feature in the coach's plans.The entire defence,minus Yobo,is indeterminate. Obi Mikel the only recognised world class act based on current form, has yet to put up a convincing performance for the team.So where does this leave us?

I know many will say naija fighting spirit.Okay that's cool;at least fighting spirit gave us the olympic gold in Atlanta.So good luck boys !