Neville: Vidic & Ferdinand departures a big risk for Manchester United

The England coach believes the departure of the pair will hit the club hard, despite new boss Louis van Gaal reportedly targeting centre-backs in this summer's transfer window

Lallana dismisses Xavi and Iniesta comparisons

The midfielder has pointed to the pair's medal haul following comments from Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino, but is keen to test himself against them at the World Cup

Materazzi: Balotelli missing maturity

The former Italy defender believes the striker will not realise his full potential until he undergoes a period of personal growth, while targeting a reunion with Jose Mourinho

'We're going there to win it' - England keeper Hart eyes World Cup glory

The Manchester City goalkeeper insists the squad do not share the low expectations of manyThree Lions fans and is not fazed by jungle heat facing the team in Manaus

What does the summer hold for Shinji Kagawa?

The playmaker has put his Manchester United troubles behind him as he focuses on Japan's World Cup campaign, but he remains keen to move back to Borussia Dortmund

Alonso: I will shout at Ronaldo if necessary

The 32-year-old admits he wouldn't have dared to "yell" at Zinedine Zidane five years ago, but is now at ease with his influence in the Santiago Bernabeu dressing room

Echiejile: Club form won’t affect me in Brazil

The Super Eagles defender has revealed that his lack of playing time with his Ligue 1 outfit in the just concluded season will not affect his performance at the World Cup

Yaya Toure: It would be an honour to join PSG

The Ivorian is at odds with Manchester City after claiming he was disrespected by a failure to celebrate his birthday, with a statement on his future due after the World Cup

One big family – United Super Eagles welcome back Yobo & Odemwingie

The national team camp is in high spirits ahead of Wednesday’s friendly match against Scotland with the return to the squad of two of their most experienced members

'I'm not sad, but I'm bitter' - Simeone

The coach was devastated that his Atletico were defeated in extra-time by Real Madrid, while he avoided criticising the referee or Raphael Varane despite a late clash

What does the summer hold for Toni Kroos?

COMMENT: Despite interest from Manchester United and with only a year left on his current deal, the midfielder is likely to remain at the Allianz Arena

Messi is never Barcelona's problem - Neymar

The Argentine was heavily criticised during parts of the past season but his Brazilian team-mate says he will defend the 26-year-old "until the death"

Arsenal need the right striker to get the best out of 'devastating' Ozil - Lahm

The Germany playmaker received plenty of criticism during his first season in England but his international team-mate says that he needs a top-class forward to play behind

Germany deserve World Cup glory, believes Ozil

The creative midfielder is eagerly anticipating the upcoming tournament and is hopeful the Nationalelf can go all the way in South America

Nigeria step up preparations for Scotland friendly

The Super Eagles arrived London on Sunday evening ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against the Tartan Army at Fulham’s Craven Cottage

Have we seen the best of Messi? Five things to look forward to in the 2014-15 Champions League

COMMENT: With the 2013-14 edition of Europe's top competition now complete following Saturday's Madrid derby, Goal takes a look at some key talking points ahead of next season

Eto'o in Guangzhou Evergrande talks

The 33-year-old has clashed with Jose Mourinho and is keen on a move to China but is demanding a salary worth €10 million per season in order to join Marcello Lippi's side

Who was the best Nigerian player in Europe? Meet the Contenders

We present the five Super Eagles stars in contention for the inaugural Goal Nigeria Player of the Season Europe Award. Vote and let us know who has impressed you most this season

From big-game flop to best of breed: The transformation of Cristiano Ronaldo

The Real Madrid forward was once regarded as a player who couldn't make the difference in important matches but his time at the Bernabeu has disproved those accusations

Ozil would not have taken FA Cup final penalty, admits Wenger

The Arsenal boss has revealed the club record signing would have been left off the list of spot kick-takers against Hull, had Aaron Ramsey's goal not sealed the win in extra time

Robben is Bayern's most important attacker, says Guardiola

The FCB coach has nothing but praise for the Dutchman in the wake of his goal in the DFB Pokal win over Borussia Dortmund at the weekend

On-field Spitting: Why footballers fail the test

Goal investigates the incessant spitting habit among footballers and tries to fashion a way out of this irritating act

Egwuekwe & Uzoenyi: Nigeria can win the World Cup

The home-based duo have experessed their ambition of helping the Super Eagles to conquer the world in Brazil next month

Sani Kaita has brought leadership to the squad, says Enyimba coach

The People’s Elephant boss has expressed his satisfaction and admiration over the acquisition of the experienced ex-international and former Kano Pillars midfielder

Debate: Should Del Bosque have based Spain squad on Atletico and not Barcelona?

A great season for Diego Simeone's men has led to calls for more representation in the national team; should Vicente del Bosque remain loyal to the Barca contingent?

Falcao: I want Atletico to win the Champions League

The Monaco striker is willing his former team-mates to triumph in Lisbon and is hopeful of recovering from injury in time to play for Colombia in the World Cup

THE BENEFICA CURSE

Béla Guttmann, the coach of SL Benfica won 2 UCL trophies in 1961 and 1962. After his success, he requested for a pay raise from the club's board which was turned down by the club. He left the club in anger and cursed them,

"Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion."

Since then Benfica have reached,
UEFA Champions League Final 5 times in 1963, 1965, 1968, 1988, and 1990.
UEFA Europa League Final 3 times in 1983, 2013 and, 2014.

They have lost all the 8 finals in the span of 52 years!

Do curses really work in Football??

Premier League Darts: Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright chase play-off spots

The semi-final line-up for this year’s Premier League will be completed when the regular season draws to a close in Brighton on Thursday night.

Manchester United manager latest: Louis van Gaal could be named on Thursday

Manchester United could make Louis van Gaal their new manager as early as today.

Sevilla 0-0 Benfica (Sevilla win 4-2 on pens): Gameiro the hero in penalty shoot-out drama

The Eagles lost their second successive Europa League final after Rodrigo and Oscar Cardozo both missed from the spot

Can Yaya Toure transform Man City form to CIV's World Cup campaign?

We look back on the Ivorian’s stellar season for the Citizens and consider the ramifications for the Ivory Coast in Brazil

Nigeria must stick together to stop Messi, says Omeruo

The Chelsea defender is brimming with confidence ahead of the World Cup and has urged his side to defend as a team against the Barcelona forward

Nigeria must stick together to stop Messi, says Omeruo

The Chelsea defender is brimming with confidence ahead of the World Cup and has urged his side to defend as a team against the Barcelona forward

PELLEGRINI NOW EXPECTS MAN CITY TO WIN TITLE

Manuel Pellegrini is expecting his Manchester City side to win the Premier League title this weekend.

The 2012 champions defeated Aston Villa 4-0 on Wednesday night to move two points and plus-13 on goal difference clear of Liverpool.

With one fixture remaining – against West Ham United on Sunday – City only have to avoid defeat to be crowned champions for 2013/14 which their boss is expecting to happen.

"Now we can talk about the title because if we win the next game we are going to win the title,” he told Sky Sports after the win.

"We could not do the same before this game because we had to beatAston Villa.

"Of course I expect to win the title because now we are top of the table.

"It has been a strange season maybe because we were never top of the table.

"Everyone said we were favourites but we were nine points behindLiverpool and eight points behind Chelsea.

"We had three games in hand but we must win all those games. Now we are top of the table and I hope we are not going to lose next Sunday."

Edin Dzeko scored in the 64th and 72nd minutes at the Etihad Stadium before Stevan Jovetic and Yaya Toure wrapped it up with later goals as City grabbed pole position ahead of the final match of the campaign.

Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa: Dzeko double puts Pellegrini's men on brink of title The Bosnia and Herzegovina international netted twice, while goals from Stevan Jovetic and Yaya Toure rounded off the rout at the Etihad - leaving City on the brink of glory

Having witnessed Liverpool draw 3-3 with Crystal Palace on Monday, City knew a win over Villa would leave their destiny in their own hands heading into the final day of the season.

VIEW FROM THE ETIHAD STADIUM

By Greg Stobart Manchester City may have made hard work of it but this was the performance that all but clinched a second title in three seasons for this season. The flag revealed by the City fans in the pouring rain before kick-off read ‘We’ll fight to the end’ and on the pitch they showed the spirit and mentality of champions. It was tough going for 64 minutes but they never looked back after Edin Dzeko opened the scoring from close range before tapping in his fifth goal in his last three games eight minutes later. Steven Jovetic and Yaya Toure sealed the victory with impressive strikes and the celebrations at the final whistle, both in the stands and on the pitch, were those of people who know the title is virtually assured. Just a point is needed on Sunday to win the title. It’s almost inconceivable that Manuel Pellegrini’s side could mess it up.

And they did not waste their opportunity, producing a second-half goal blitz that sees them now with one hand on the trophy as they prepare to host West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Despite the comfortable scoreline, City were made to work hard in patches against a Villa side who held relegation fears for much of the campaign.

The opening goal only arrived midway through the second half as Dzeko finished off a well-worked team move.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina striker then added a second in the 72nd minute with his 16th Premier League goal of the season before City made it even more comfortable late on.

Stevan Jovetic came off the bench with half an hour to go and made his impact when he passed the ball into the corner for the third, before Yaya Toure - so often the talisman this season - added his own stamp to the scoreline with a fourth in injury time.

Bar a huge swing in goal difference, City now just need a point against West Ham to secure a second title in three years.

City unsurprisingly made the most of the early running, left-back Aleksandar Kolarov - in the side in place of Gael Clichy - forcing Brad Guzan into a near-post save after just five minutes.

Midfielder Toure was then denied by brilliant close-range stop from Guzan seven minutes later before David Silva, starting instead of the injured Sergio Aguero, narrowly missed connecting with a dangerous left-wing cross from Kolarov.

The hosts dominated possession throughout the first half, although Villa were dangerous on the break and could have taken the lead had Andreas Weimann supplied a better finish after racing clear on the counter-attack.

But the best chance of the opening period came in first-half injury time as Samir Nasri turned a James Milner cross wide at the near post from point-blank range.

City's onslaught continued in the second half, Guzan called into action twice in the early stages after the restart.

First, the American kept out Vincent Kompany's acrobatic overhead kick, and then produced an excellent save to prevent Kolarov's curling free-kick from finding the top corner.

However, Guzan was finally beaten in the 64th minute as Dzeko slotted home from Pablo Zabaleta's low ball into the box after Silva had fed the Argentinian with a superb pass down the right channel.

Pellegrini's side continued to flood forward in search of the second goal, and it duly arrived eight minutes later as Dzeko tapped in his second on the rebound after Guzan had saved from Nasri.

Weimann went close to setting up a tense finale with a header that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar late on, but City were out of sight soon after.

They added a third when substitute Jovetic converted from a pull back by Toure a minute from time.

The Ivory Coast international then added further gloss to the scoreline himself by surging clear from inside his own half and powering beyond a helpless Guzan to give City sight of the title.

Oboabona & Omeruo: How strong is Nigeria's defence duo?

While attention has been focused on the names chosen to populate the Super Eagles' offensive positions, the defence and the defenders chosen are at least of equal importance

FEATURE
By Ude Ikenna Ezekiel

Much has been written about the need for reinforcements in various areas of Stephen Keshi's team since the Cup of Nations triumph in South Africa. 

The midfield and the strikeforce have attracted a good number of player suggestions with the likes of Lukman Haruna, Ikechukwu Uche and Peter Odemwingie being the most-advocated players. Some fans and analysts are even going a step further and inferring that their addition will automatically guarantee the Super Eagles a semi-final berth this summer.

It is, however, clear that as important as it is for a team to score goals at will, it is even more important to defend those goals scored in order to ensure victory at the end of the match.

It is often said that the best form of defence is attack but in the game of football, especially in the World Cup, the defence is as important as any team’s strike force.

Not even the 'Golden Team' of Hungary could win the World Cup despite scoring a total of 27 goals in the 1954 edition in Germany.

Spain's Success | Born in Defence

The 2010 World Cup winners Spain scored a total of eight goals and conceded just two. Likewise 2006 Champions Italy scored a total of 12 goals and conceded only two. France conceded only two goals to become the World Champions in 1998.

It is, therefore, obvious that a team does not need to score high goal margins in matches to win the World Cup but will need to keep out other teams from scoring more goals than them in each game. I term this the 'higher goal aggregate' system as exemplified by the Spain national team. Remarkably, La Roja have not conceded a goal in the knock-out stage of a major tournament since Zinedine Zidane knocked them out in 2006.

Therefore, seeing that the Super Eagles might not possess the most prolific set of strikers going in to the tournament there is need for the team to attempt to keep as many clean sheets as possible in order to maintain a good higher goal aggregate in all their games.

This may well be a very tough task but given the promise of a defensive backline of Godfrey Oboabona, Efe Ambrose, Kenneth Omeruo and Elderson Echiejile, expecting such a result is certainly not impossible.

As the modern day full-backs are known to be, at times, more offensive than defensive, the major defensive work usually falls to the centre-halves.

Omeruo | Thrived when thrown in at the AFCON

Can Omeruo and Oboabona rise to the challenge? Both players may not be making waves presently in the top European leagues, nevertheless their talents and defensive abilities as a pair and individually cannot be neglected. Although their record of having played 14 matches together and conceding nine goals might not be too impressive, their overall performances in those games were very encouraging. Among those games were the matches against Uruguay, Ivory Coast and, twice, against Mexico. Against Italy, when partnered with Azubuike Egwuekwe, Oboabona showed a lot of defenders how to mark AC Milan's Mario Balotelli out of any game. Not only is he good aerially, his number of completed tackles-per-match is quite impressive. 

At Nigeria’s last two World Cup appearances the major failing was the presence of weak and less tactical centre-backs, we struggled without confident and disciplined defenders that had the guts and skill to face renowned and clinical strikers of other teams.

Kenneth Omeruo, with his good height and man-marking ability, is definitely a blessing to any team he might be put into. It’s little wonder Middlesbrough's backline has not been the same since he joined the club on loan in January.

In Omeruo, Nigeria have a young version of both Chelsea legend John Terry, given his great ability to make any match hell for opposing strikers, and Brazil skipper Thiago Silva, highly reputed for his tough-tackling ability.

Oboabona v. Balotelli | A Lesson

These two youngsters, with an average age of twenty two, definitely have all it takes to protect Vincent Enyeama in goal at the World Cup even from severe attacks from their opponents.

With just a little motivation from Keshi, who himself was a great defender in the highly revered Clemens Westerhof team of the '90s, Oboabona and Omeruo will surely be good to go for the World Cup finals.

Both players will certainly be busy and, if the the Super Eagles are to stand any chance of winning the strongest contests in the tourney with the slimmest goal margin, need to be at their best. 

The Eagles fans should have every boldness to hope that their team possesses a collection of players that can keep other teams' forwards at bay in the tournament and, in general, shock the world in Brazil.

Brazil reveal World Cup squad as Kaka, Robinho and Lucas Moura miss out

Atletico Madrid duo Miranda and Filipe Luis also missed out, as did Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho and Bayern Munich defender Rafinha

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed his 23-man squad for World Cup 2014, with Kaka, Robinho and Lucas Moura all missing out.

Napoli’s Henrique, Inter midfielder Hernanes, Roma’s Maicon and PSG defender Maxwell were all unsure of their places at the tournament ahead of the announcement in Rio this morning, but all have been selected.

The quartet were all absent from the squad that travelled to Johannesburg for Brazil’s 5-0 victory over South Africa in March.

Atletico Madrid defenders Filipe Luis and Miranda as well as Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho were also overlooked, as was Bayern Munich right-back Rafinha.

Brazil open their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Sao Paulo on June 12 before facing Mexico and Cameroon in their other two group stage games.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Jefferson (Botafogo), Julio Cesar (Toronto FC), Victor (Atletico MG).

Defenders: Dante (Bayern Munich) David Luiz (Chelsea), Henrique (Napoli), Thiago Silva (PSG) Dani Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Roma) Marcelo (Real Madrid), Maxwell (PSG).

Midfielders: Fernandinho (Manchester City) Hernanes (Inter) Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg) Oscar (Chelsea) Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Ramires (Chelsea), Willian (Chelsea).

Forwards: Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk), Fred (Fluminense) Hulk (Zenit) Jo (Atletico MG), Neymar (Barcelona).

Odemwingie, Uche & Agbim: The Players Keshi must Invite and Ignore

Ahead of the release of Nigeria's preliminary squad for the World Cup, five of our writers each present one player they believed should be included, and one they would omit.

ANALYSIS
The Goal Nigeria Team

Goal Nigeria writers give their opinions on who Stephen Keshi must not ignore for his preliminary World Cup squad of 30, and who he must not invite.

Comment below and let us know which of these selections you agree with.

d Cup is No Pla

Must Not Ignore: Taye Taiwo

The Super Eagles’ defence is one stable area of the team. The back four are unlikely to change, but there is a worrying lack of backup options, especially at left full-back. 

Heartland’s Francis Benjamin is injury-prone, while incumbent deputy Juwon Oshaniwa remains an unknown quantity.

Surely it is time to recall 29-year-old Taiwo.

More than in any other department, experience is pivotal in defence. 53-cap Taiwo offers this. 

He also brings a different set of skills than first-choice Elderson: he is more attack-minded, and his fierce shot is a danger from open play as well as set pieces.

Considering the attack’s struggle for goals, Taiwo is a valuable weapon to possess.

Must Not Invite: John Ogu

In many ways, Ogu is the archetypal Stephen Keshi player: physically imposing and bold. This has probably kept him in the national team picture this long. 

His struggles at Academica de Coimbra are well-documented, and if taken to the World Cup, he will arrive in Brazil short of match fitness and form.

This situation could be countenanced for an exceptional talent, someone like Victor Moses. In the case of Ogu, there is little justification for his continued presence.

Having offered precious little in his appearances for the Super Eagles to date, his place should go to another.

Follow Solace Chukwu on 

Must Not Invite: Chigozie Agbim

Agbim is the weak link in the Super Eagles team.

His abysmal showing during the African Nations Championship raised major questions about his quality.

Aside from conceding six goals in eight games, which stands as the worst goalkeeping record by any Super Eagles custodian since 1998, one of his many sins was his poor sense of judgment and his inability to organise his defence. His dire positioning was little better.

Agbim cannot even claim to be the best goalkeeper in the Nigeria Premier League this season, let alone one of the finest three Super Eagles stoppers in the world.

If there is any chance of Agbim being between the sticks for Nigeria in Brazil, then Stephen Keshi and his troops shouldn’t even bother travelling to the World Cup!

Must Not Ignore: Ikechukwu Uche

Ikechukwu Uche represents a good option for the Keshi-led technical crew who dream of a brilliant showing in Brazil.

His blistering pace and ball control can be ignored no longer by Nigeria. His goal-scoring ability, which has prompted comparisons with Miroslav Klose, could allow the Super Eagles to soar in their fifth World Cup.

Tactically-speaking, he can play in any attacking formation the Eagles will employ and will still make his impact felt.

If an impotent Nigeria side fail to score at the World Cup and advance from the group stage, then Keshi's tough stance with Uche might come back to haunt him.

Follow Shina Oludare on 

Must Not Invite: Nnamdi Oduamadi

Oduamadi’s performance at the Confederations Cup, which is the ultimate dress rehearsal for the World Cup, left much to be desired. After a hat-trick against Tahiti, he faded, and hasn’t contributed much since.

Interestingly, his goals in Brazil were not enough to stop Super Eagles faithful from ruing the absence of more established forwards. 

Oduamadi has failed to convince in subsequent showings, despite Keshi’s desire to try him in different areas of the pitch.

The experiments should not continue to Brazil.

Must Not Ignore: Victor Anichebe

Anichebe’s timing couldn’t be better. 

At 26, the forward is in the prime of his career—and is in excellent condition mentally and physically. His resolve to shun international duty since 2011, understandably to manage his body, has paid off and he is now ready. 

Anichebe is fast and powerful—a complete point-man who can hold the ball under pressure and bring others into the game. The wealth of experience garnered from playing top-flight football in England since 2006 will surely benefit the team. Furthermore, his goals against the Premier League big guns demonstrate composure and maturity, and these are crucial elements for the big stage. 

Anichebe is a more potent option than Shola Ameobi and will combine well with Keshi’s existing forwards.

Follow James Ezimoha on 

Must Not Invite: Chigozie Agbim

At the African Nations Championship in January, we all got to examine Chigozie Agbim's poor form which found him wanting many times.

Nigeria conceded silly goals against Mali and Mozambique in the first two matches that were down to the lack of composure of the goalkeeper.

Agbim, who has been third choice goalkeeper for a long time and also played in key friendlies with the national team, has shown he cannot be relied upon in the case where Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide become injured or suspended.

It might be time to scout for another goalkeeper to be back up.

Must Not Ignore: Theophilus Afelokhai

Kano Pillars have won the Nigeria Premier League back-to-back, powered from behind by their captain and safe hands Theophilus Afelokhai. The 26-year-old has been snubbed by Keshi, even though the coach has included many domestic-based players.

The Sai Masu Gida man also missed out on Keshi’s squad for the 2014 CHAN.

Considering his performances over the last two seasons, when Pillars have dominated the local scene, Afelokhai deserves a look in and the World Cup couldn't be a better place for him to prove himself.

Follow Lolade Adewuyi on 

Must Not Invite: Peter Odemwingie

I know that the Stoke City forward has become the flavour of the month in Nigeria following his goal-scoring form in the Premier League and his recalcitrant comments, but I don’t believe the temperamental forward is worth the hassle.

Odemwingie is 32 now and represents, at best, a short-term fix.

He brings with him far too much baggage to merit a recall, and his inclusion would risk destabilising the precious team ethic that Keshi has worked so hard to generate.

It would be like the Trojans, breaking down their own city walls to welcome the wooden horse.

We all know how that one ended.

Must Not Ignore: Chinedu Obasi

If Keshi is, however, seeking attacking reinforcements—and this is a perfectly reasonable ambition considering Nigeria’s impotent performances of late, then he could do a lot worse than Chinedu Obasi.

The forward has had a tough time with injuries, but since recovering his fitness he has steadily begun to demonstrate his qualities once more at Schalke.

He has, on occasion, been a star man for his club side, and has even returned to compete in the Champions League—by contrast, Odemwingie hasn’t starred in continental competition since 2007!

Obasi can offer the versatility to thrive across the forward line and brings with him much less baggage than the former West Bromwich Albion hitman.

Three Areas of Focus for Keshi in Brazil

This article outlines the three main areas for the Big Boss to consider ahead of the summer trip to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.

COMMENT

By Olumide Ogungbemi

It's hard not to be sympathetic with the one-week one-trouble appointment the Super Eagles' manager position had turned into for Stephen Keshi.

As hardworking as the man is, as meticulous as he approaches his job, some disgruntled officials of the Nigeria Football Federation are bent on forcing Keshi out of his job. Assurances that all is cordial between the NFF and Keshi represent nothing but another lame statement to regroup after another sneak attack on the gaffer. 

Expect the federation to launch an all-out attack after the World Cup and there appears only one way for Keshi to ensure that he avoids the axe; by taking the Super Eagles to the Quarter-finals in Brazil. 

Anything short of that will have his detractors yodelling and doing the River Dance on the Glass House's board room table.   

Keshi's preoccupation right now isn't anything other than how the Super Eagles can manage to play at least five matches this summer. A good showing in Brazil and the detractors would be nothing but braying donkeys in the barn. 

This article presents the three key areas that Keshi must focus on in order to ensure that he can preserve his job with the Super Eagles beyond the summer.

Selecting the Most Prepared 23

Decisions | Difficult to make before Brazil

Keshi should be more pragmatic than sentimental in this task as it is the most fundamental of all. 

Selecting players for a competition of this magnitude may be the most important task because the manager's fate will be in the collective players' hands. Squad selection is an exercise usually mired in controversy because keeping sentiments out of it is nearly impossible, but must be kept to a minimum. 

Players' form in this case may present problems, because some of Keshi's regulars have, through the season, been bedevilled by lack of playing time at their clubs. 

While regulars were missing in action, some of the Eagles’ fringe players became super regulars at their own clubs.  

This change of fortunes might give the manager a selection headache, but Keshi must endeavour to be pragmatic in this task.   

Players would get hurt, no doubt, egos would be bruised, but he must be resolute to pick the best; physically and mentally. 

The 2002 Korea/Japan tournament was an epic failure because of the squad selection. The exercise was ruined by the collective sentimentality of the NFF, the manager, the press and the fans. This may be the most difficult selection Keshi has ever had to make in his career. 

Good luck, Keshi...you're gonna need it.