With the list, World Cup countdown on…

Sometimes not everything modern is better than the past. When Nigeria qualified for the first World Cup held in the United States, Clemens Westerhof did not have to name a 30-man list a month before the championship.

So last week, AFCON-winning coach Stephen Keshi named a 30-man squad that will eventually be pruned to 23 for the tournament proper. Personally, I got fed up with all the intrigues surrounding the announcement and feel that again the NFF did not help.

How difficult would it have been for the federation to have called a press conference with the coach and his press officer/media officer and the sponsors and World Cup logos as backdrop to give it the real World Cup feel? This we have seen happen elsewhere for the teams that have qualified and then the coach can explain once and for all his reasoning behind his choices.

Anyway, what strikes me or jumps out is the absence of a natural right-back in the team. Yes, there are players who can fill that role, but it is dangerous to go into a tournament like the World Cup without naturals in a position like that.

To those who have been clamouring for their return, Joseph Yobo and Osaze Odemwingie are back to the squad. Making the final 23 though is open to what happens during the training camp. Yobo has been one of the best servants of the Super Eagles but sincerely I believe his time is done. He has played at two World Cups and has won the Nations Cup so there really is no need for sentiments there with him.

In terms of sheer talent, Odemwingie should be a shoo-in for the final 23 and even a starter – offers much more than Ahmed Musa – and his experience will be vital. Odemwingie was unlucky not to start more matches at the last World Cup and having missed out at the AFCON triumph he will be eager to make up for lost time. He will be great there. Hopefully, he will be level-headed enough in the camp to make the final cut.

Away from the list of players what I would love to know from the NFF and their famous and vociferous Technical Committee is what sort of technical work has been done to aid the team when they arrive South America.

Will the team be accompanied by chefs and cooks that will help meet their dietary needs? You see, teams that want to win tournaments do take care of these types of little things. Keshi last year complained that he wanted his video analyst restored. Will he be restored and travel with the team? Is there a huge video compilation of the players of the countries we will be playing in the first round available to the coaching crew? This is 2014 and these things are easily available for those who are serious about the work at hand.

Have the kits the players are going to use throughout the tournament been tested and approved for the climatic conditions in our match venues? What sort of entertainment/leisure facilities will be available to the players during times in between training and matches? If these things have not been looked at properly and even a lot more than I have enumerated above then am afraid some people have just prepared us for failure – as usual.

Iran coached by Carlos Quieroz and with money can be guaranteed to be properly drilled and organised on and off the pitch. Bosnia and Herzegovina too. Argentina are one of the tournament favourites with the World’s best player in their ranks. Therefore as proper rank outsiders, it will amount to carelessness on our part if we do not make adequate arrangements and plan properly for those things off the pitch. It is extremely important that footballers are comfortable off it before they can deliver on it.

As the days turn into weeks and the tournament draws closer I will discuss more on where we are with regards to the plans and the players going. I hope to be at Craven Cottage for the friendly against Scotland here in London. Then it will be off to Brazil with the team.

So please stay with us here on thecable.ng and on twitter with me @CalvinEmeka for regular updates. Do leave your comments too as they are valued.