Inconsistent Super Eagles stand in England's way

The ‘Group of Death’ proved fatal for Nigeria long before coach Adegboye Onigbinde sat down to select his team to face England tomorrow.

Most commentators - and even Sven-Goran Eriksson - would have expected both sides to go into tomorrow’s final group game in Osaka with little decided and everything to play for.

For England, Sweden and Argentina, the riches of qualification for the knock-out stages remain very much up for grabs, but for one of Africa’s leading lights, only pride is at stake after a disastrous campaign by the standards they have set themselves.

The Super Eagles made the second round at both USA 94 and France 98 as football’s fastest-developing continent threatened to have a major say on the biggest stage.

But they will return home this time around after further disappointment followed their failure to find a way past Senegal in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations in Mali.

Whether England run out against a side desperate to board the plane home or one determined to ensure that they leave the tarmac having at least restored their reputation with a rousing display remains to be seen, but Eriksson’s men have prepared, as they must, expecting the latter.

And that, in essence, is Nigeria’s problem.

Scintillating at best, inept at worst and with a dozen shades of grey in between, it is their unpredictability which is both their strength and their weakness, a facet which is as much a problem to Onigbinde, who replaced Shaibu Amodu after the disappointment in Mali, as to the teams which stand in their path.

The Nigerians were not at their best in their opening game against Argentina, where they eventually succumbed to Gabriel Batistuta’s header, and were a little unfortunate not to get at least a point from their clash with Sweden, a game in which they led until Henrik Larsson’s double snatched back the advantage.

Worryingly for England, they have yet to hit the heights of which they are well capable, and that is all the warning Eriksson and his players need as they go in search of the point they know will secure their passage.

Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma has watched at close hand how one of Africa’s strongest football nations has risen to the fore, but admits that their form can be a mystery.

‘‘Nigeria are also one of the best teams in Africa, but the problem is that you cannot predict what they will do,’’ he said. ‘‘They can impress in one game and they can also play so badly that you think they’re nothing.

‘‘Everywhere, they have quality players and technically, they’re probably the best side in Africa.

‘‘Cameroon and Nigeria are very similar. They’re also very powerful but probably more technical. But the Cameroon team is more compact compared to Nigeria, who maybe have better individual players.

‘‘They didn’t reach their target in the African Cup of Nations and they changed their coach, and that’s not the best way to prepare for the World Cup.

‘‘It can be one man for himself, and that’s not the best way to play football.’’

The internal strife and the setbacks of the last week or so send Nigeria into the England game with much to prove, but what is not in any doubt is the quality they have within their squad.

Talented 19-year-old striker Julius Aghahowa is currently coveted by a series of European clubs for his pace and power and, as he showed against the Swedes, he has an eye for goal.

The Shakhtar Donetsk frontman is a genuine threat if he is allowed to run at defenders or play on the shoulder of the last man, and Eriksson will be hoping that he does not get a chance to see at close hand the 12-somersault celebration which greeted his opening strike in the competition.

But much of the hope in the Nigerian camp will rest upon the ability of playmaker Jay Jay Okocha to unlock the England defence.

The Paris St-Germain schemer enjoys legendary status in his own country and at 28, has won a wider audience, including Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, with his exhilarating brand of football.

Okocha has nimble feet, passes intuitively and is dangerous in front of goal, and those qualities make him a major threat to England’s hopes.

However, no matter how concerted Eriksson’s efforts to force his players to concentrate on Nigeria’s strengths, he will have wasted no time in underlining their weaknesses at the back.

Former Derby defender Taribo West is the inspirational mainstay of Onigbinde’s rearguard, which has also included Crewe’s Efe Sodje, but pace is not his biggest asset and England have that in abundance.

The pattern of the game may largely depend upon which Nigerian side turns up; the one capable of incisive, free-flowing football, or the other, a group of individuals seemingly with little else in common but the same coloured shirts.

If the latter proves the case, England have the armoury to ease their way through to the last 16 with few worries, but if the Super Eagles decide to fly, Eriksson’s side could have their work cut out.

With Nigeria already out of the competition, that may soothe the pain of their premature exit, and it might also rekindle a few memories of that famous night in Italy 12 years ago when Cameroon threatened to end Bobby Robson’s World Cup dream.

Mboma was a tearful spectator then and will be an interested onlooker this time around, but he admits that it is a tough one to call.

‘‘I wouldn’t put my money on Nigeria but, as an African, I can say that they can beat England,’’ he said.