 Welcome back to the breakfast in Plasivia Africa, where we look at Niger's defeat in Sierra Leone 2-1 in that particular game. We have Monday Thomas who joins the conversation as a sports analyst. Very interesting is the fact that Niger's road to Ivory Coast in 2023 kicked off with a much needed win in a group A of a qualifying phase. Like I mentioned earlier on, it was a fantastic defeat 2-1 at that martyr. But let's get to the conversation. Monday Thomas, it's good to have you join us this beautiful Friday morning. You are Monday on the Friday morning. Good morning. I know what you're having me. I'll call a week together with everything we have, but especially for the Super Bowl of Nigeria, what a way to begin the out front campaign. So we're looking at the 4-4-2 formation and some places are saying that this has been you know fantastic. Other places are quite different you know with the start, especially where you have Jose Pesero starting you know this game you know for him. A 4-4-2 formation, it's a very effective formation. I mean it's a traditional formation. It's a formation we don't get to see now in the modern football, but I tell you it's a formation that can bring you victories. For Jose Pesero, if you take a look at his resume, you find out that he once was with the Los Blancas. I'm talking about Real Madrid and in that time where he was the one of the assistant coaches of Real Madrid, that time was where Real Madrid used to play a 4-4-2 formation where Raúl González Pablo used to pair alongside Ronaldo de Lima. So yesterday we saw a 4-4-2 formation and you can see the audacity, you can see the purposeful football, you can see the direct football, you can see that this man is out here to get a result and result is what football is all about. Football is a result of a vintage game. If you can't get the result and you won't go anywhere, you play the best football, but if you can't get the result you won't go anywhere. But we saw that game yesterday and what I've noticed about Jose Pesero is that he's a man that is not afraid to change things. We saw in the first 45 minutes, the first 15 minutes of the game, the Lone Stars came out of the Super Eagles of Nigeria. It was quite unexpected when Jonathan Moses scored in the 11th minute and you can blame back to the defensive era of the Super Eagles. Now it was not a fantastic win but we needed a win. We needed to of course ground that result so that we can get our Afghan campaign to a great start. The defense line for me was not the very best but how did we deal after losing, after going down in that game, just five minutes after Sierra Leone had scored, five minutes later Alexi will be with an absolute beauty over Koila. That is what it's all about. It's not, it doesn't matter if you go down but what is your fighting spirit when you go down. I can take your mind back to that game that was played at the same stadium which happened to be the World Cup qualifiers where the Super Eagles of Nigeria played a one-on draw against the Black Stars of Ghana. The Black Stars scored us first. What happened? We were struggling and this is what happens in African football and a way team scores you first. They will do their very best to defend but the Sierra Leone's couldn't do that against a power-packed Super Eagles side. I know there are some negatives you can take up from that particular game. Nigerians, we missed chances. Samuel Chukrize blowed a very glaring opportunity. We also missed other chances and we can build from that particular one but in the overall for a man who's just coming in we should cut him some slack. I don't think he should be criticized right now. He should just be given the support he needs. After 4-5 training session he led Nigeria to a very beautiful performance yesterday and also people are still talking about the... Have we been always with the 4-4-2 formation or is this a new development or new tactics? I mean that's what a lot of persons have argued over time with you know the previous coach. Are you saying that Jose Pocero is more tactical now because the 4-4-2 formation might not be just a new one? Mercy the only problem we have right now on this show is that we don't have time. We don't have time because I've got a lot to say about Jose Pocero. Go ahead. Whatever it is you have to say, go ahead. I took your mind back to the days of the Los Blancos and I told you it was one of the assistant coaches right there and I told you how effective a 4-4-2 formation means for a coach using a 4-4-2 formation it tells you that this coach is very confident. It tells you that this coach wants to win a game. Playing two strikers you want to you want to strike us to hunt down and get the goals. It doesn't matter what people think. You know football is a game where everyone thinks they have an opinion. Quite shocking especially in endurance. We think we know football. We think we can decide for the coaches. A 4-4-2 formation for me was not the best yesterday but if it's something we can incorporate, if it's something we can let the players be on, the 4-4-2 formation will bring us great victories in the nearest future. Next for the Super Eagles is a game in Morocco where they'll be taken on Satome and Principere. That should be another win for the Super Eagles of Nigeria. We saw what happened to them yesterday. I'm talking about Satome and Principere. They lost to Guinea and they won a 5-1. For me I would encourage the coach to try whatever they think is best for the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Let's look at the next, the future. It's interesting what you've just replied. Mercy, I don't know if she wants you to see the team play like Liverpool. I think what you're saying is that the coach was direct. He played a direct formation. He was not playing purposeful and just wanted to grind out the result. Why? Well, he tries to understand who his players are and what the team is in to decide how to play. Let's look at the starting lineup. Alexi will be equalised for Nigeria and Victor Simen grabbed the winner for Nigeria in the first half. In the second half there were no goals scored. Are you okay with this starting lineup? Because I heard you mentioned some sort of defensive mistake that led to the conceding of the first goal. We know what the Nigerian contingent in Glasgow Rangers have been able to accomplish. The name on everybody's lips is Calvin Basi. He was played from what I can see left back. Correct me if I'm wrong. So what are your thoughts on this starting 11, especially as it will be was left out of the World Cup qualifiers? All right. The coach is still experimenting things. He's still trying to take a look at the team. He could make his first 11. So starting the starting line, I think that was the best starting lineup he could go for. Calvin Basi was prolific for Rangers. He was one of the player of the season for Rangers and also Joe Aribo who was fantastic as well. How about Alexi will be the midfield quality. I mean in his past 10 games in the English Premier League and as well as with the Super Eagles of Nigeria has been clearly the best player. But for the defense line it was Semia Jai who plays for West Broadway, Chalbion and William Trusekong. That was where the problem of the Super Eagles of course started, especially from the first goal. I mean, William Trusekong doesn't play for his side, Warford in the English Premier League. They're relegated right now, but he's a player that doesn't get to start for his side like Warford. Semia Jai, you won't blame him. I mean he played in the English Premier League two seasons ago. He's now playing in the championship with West Broadway, Chalbion. I'm thinking we have a defensive issue and William Trusekong for me is not my man. Can't be my man because he wasn't able to match all that defense. His communication is not the very best. I mean it's not just talking when you're communicating. It's making the right decisions and also putting out the right instructions. For the first goal, you can see that in the first 10 minutes, Sierra Leone came out playing like I see they were Barcelona against the Warford side. They wanted a goal and they got a goal. But it for me, it was because of a defensive error. Calvin Bassi also was not on hand to stop the Jonathan Mose from scoring. But there's always room for improvement in every game. It might not have been the best of the best performance from the Super Eagles of Nigeria, but it was good thing to get us to a flying start. I'm very sure that coaches, I heard from him this morning. He said that it was a good game, but there's always room for improvement. I think I'll agree with him. It might not have been the best game. There's a lot to criticize about this particular game, but when you see the way this man is playing, when you see his motif, you know that Niger will go very far with Joseph Passile. Don't we think that this is too early for all of the assumptions? I mean, come on. Are we going to say that? It's not too early, right? It's not too early because we were already criticizing him. It's too early to criticize. Just cut him some slack. Let's just see what he can do. For me, I think he's a man that will change things. But let's talk about the Super Eagles entirely. What exactly is lacking? What exactly do we need? Is it the formation that we have to peg with the technicality? What exactly is the issue? As a tactist, the tactist is building confidence in these players. We've got quality players, world class. Look at Victor O'Simmons. Did you see that finish? Goal scoring machine. That is a poachers finish. But do they have the coaches to tell them to give them the right instructions? What to do at a point in time? What formation to change? If you see your team attacking you, what do you do to calm them down? Look at what he did. Joseph Prasaro. He took off Tadeguma. He knew that the battle was in the midfield. And Sierra Leone were dominating. Organicaro came in. Although he made some dangerous tackle, sometimes you need that. You need to take one for the team. But he was able to count the situation in the midfield. And the Super Eagles grew back into the game. But of course, you should have gotten goals in the second 45 minutes. But look at that chance on Samuel Chickasay. Simon Moses was not really in the game, although he provided two assists. So what we really need in for the Super Eagles is a coach to tell them that they can. I mean, so would you say that it would be okay that if we had started? Because a lot of persons are saying that if we had started Alexi Wolby during the qualifiers, the World Cup qualifiers, we probably wouldn't have been where we are today. So I like to see those, I like to see those persons that are saying that. I like to see that. I mean, the argument for Alexi Wolby is that he has a way of doing his thing. I mean, there's some magic he brings at the end of the day to the game. The honest truth, Alexi Wolby was a joker before yesterday's game. I mean, before Frank Lampard came in to Everton, he was a prepared man for Frank Lampard. But at the Afghan, he was a joker. Before the World Cup qualifiers, I wouldn't pick him. But now he is the main man to watch. He is a main man because he has rejuvenated. So something about any bad footballer can be good overnight. It's just how you can learn, how you can relearn things. I mean, Alexi Wolby for me, for me, it's always been an average player. But what are you doing do yesterday and what he has been doing for Everton in the past 10 games is also a player to look out for in the coming days. I mean, the whole Super Eagles squad, everyone has opted to improve. And this is the main quality of a side that wants to win trophies. All right, that's the same way. I mean, a lot of people have been trolling Alexi Wolby. And but do I feel that the young man has not been treated fairly. He plays well for Nigeria. He may not have all the good days, but we can see that he scored a goal. So maybe some of you who have been trolling him after he ate your humble pie, just as you all also were clamoring for getting on the road to be to be removed. I'm sure you saw where that ended up. And if Gary Roe was still the coach, Nigeria would have gone to the World Cup. My brother, if get a role, I'm not going to the World Cup. I'm Ghanaian, but I'm telling you that Nigeria would have gone to the World Cup. Yes, if Gary Roe was still the coach, you know, so I don't know. But before we go very quickly, the combination up front, is that the best as far as you're concerned? Bear in mind the fact that Nigeria is embarrassed with an abundance of talent when it comes to strikers. And of course, we have a Colauwale Desus, the guy from Ferdinand who scored in the game against Mexico. He didn't start and the coach opted to go for Oma who plays in the second tier of the Spanish professional leagues. We have, of course, the young man from Leicester City as well. Indeed, he was not in this game, you know, the midfield combination. Other players that we should be considering above other players. We have the guy from Watford as well. The attacker who was not in this game. Were there players that probably should have been starting this game, you know, rather than the ones that Pesero went with? Well, sometimes it doesn't matter how you start. You can start, but at the end of the day, but when you start that and your opponents get to score you many goals and everything goes crazy. But for the start of the Super League goals, for the players who started, I'd like to say that this man is just starting. I mean, we should give him all the empowerment he needs. It's not a time for us to talk. If we employ him, if the NFL employ him, they saw his CV. They saw it at his worthy of taking the Super League. So, why are we talking when he's making his own decisions? For me, I would like to give him a chance to do whatever he wants to do. We've got abundant talent. Very, very quickly. Yes, very quickly. Sorting through to my brother. What changes or what lessons should we learn from this game ahead of the next game? All right. So, we are very delighted, personally for me. I'm delighted for the read. We should also take a look at that defensive, our defensive players. They're not the very best for me, especially the set up pairing. Olaia now was very solid. He also had a cross in that resulted to Simon Moses heading to Victor Simeon. Our center defense, our center pairing. I mean, we don't have the very best. Kenneth Romero, fantastic player he was, but he's aging. He came on later on in the game. Leon Baloguin is also aging. That's all right. We have to let you go now. I'm sorry. Okay, let me finish up. Let me finish up. William Truseko is also not a key starter for his club. Semi-agile plays in West Brom. We have a problem in our defense. Probably in the defense and also in the midfield. And I can't wait for Wilfred Gilly to be back. And then my word, we are in for a great football in the coming days. Well, Mande Thomas, thank you so much. You're very correct when you said that the biggest challenge we have is time and time is of the essence. We come through on Friday. Hopefully we're able to have you join us and look at, you know, some of the conversations that we have regarding the world of football and maybe sports generally. Thank you. I saw your beautiful face and the gentleman from Ghana, always a pleasure having me to talk to you guys. Have a fantastic weekend. You too. What I said, we'll definitely return on Monday. It's the size of a conversation. It's been a fantastic week. Very challenging if you like to say it. Supergirls won, so it makes it more fantastic. It wipes away the tears of Liverpool losing Champions League in the league. Oh, come on. Don't rub it. It wasn't even delivery. It wasn't, you can't even put that because we did our bid. It was just unfortunate that one point could actually take you out, you know, of the situation. It's all right. She's talking about Arsenal, by the way. No, I'm not talking about Arsenal, but that's the size of a conversation. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and do subscribe to YouTube channel at Plus TV Africa and Plus TV Africa lifestyle. I am Nessie Buquo. Have a great Friday. And my name is Gophie Bartels. Good morning.