We are out but Vincent Enyeam is not forgotten... Read this
report:
Nigeria
may have long been kicked out of the World Cup by France, but the exploits of
goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama are still reigning supreme and being re-echoed at
the on-going World Cup.
Little
wonder therefore he has been named in the Top 10 goalkeepers in the World Cup.
He is rated the fourth best Goalkeeper in Brazil.
1 Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Cristiano
Ronaldo got an early clue that this was not going to be his tournament when
Neuer produced a superb save from a stoppage-time free-kick to prevent Portugal
from salvaging even a sliver of consolation from their crushing defeat by
Germany. But it is not his shot-stopping that has distinguished Neuer, it is
the way he has practically redefined the role of a goalkeeper, taking the
sweeper-keeper function to an extreme never before showcased with such success.
His
charges out of his box prevented Algeria, in particular, from revelling in the
space behind Germany’s high defensive line, compensating for Per Mertesacker’s
lack of pace. In addition to the obvious effectiveness, the sight of the
hulking keeper hurtling towards confrontation must have a potent mind-game
value – Asamoah Gyan, for instance, fled ridiculously wide when presented with
the chance to take on Neuer one-on-one. What is more, Neuer’s superb
distribution makes him the first line of attack.
2 Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico)
Way
to ace a job interview. Ochoa, a free agent after three outstanding seasons at
Ajaccio, was unlikely to be short of offers before the tournament but his
displays for Mexico may have endeared him to a new calibre of recruiter. The
28-year-old’s agility, reflexes and robust wrists enabled him to make an array
of improbable saves. Brazil players wondered whether there had been divine
intervention when he helped Mexico to draw against them, while it took some
devilry from Arjen Robben to beat Ochoa in the end.
3 Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)
The
27-year-old came into the tournament after a wonderful season in which he set a
new clean-sheet record for Levante but it has still been a major surprise to
see Costa Rica advance to the quarter-finals while conceding only two goals in
five matches – Uruguay, Italy, England, Greece and Holland. Behind a solid
unit, Navas was a secure presence. As the pressure increased, his performances
rose accordingly, with his exhibitions of shot-stopping against Greece and
Holland among the highlights of the tournament.
4 Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria)
Another
goalkeeper who arrived after a record-breaking season at club level. Enyeama
carried on the form that made him nigh-on unbeatable for Lille last term,
pulling off a series of extraordinary saves, starting in the first match
against Iran, when Nigeria dominated but would have lost if the goalkeeper had
not kept enough concentration to tip away a header from Reza Ghoochannejhad.
He
then kept Bosnia-Herzegovina at bay before thwarting Lionel Messi and Argentina
for long periods despite conceding three. When a goalkeeper falls below
imperfection, however, he can be punished severely and Enyeama’s mishandling of
a cross against France enabled Paul Pogba to plunder the winning goal and
ruined another otherwise immaculate performance.
5 Tim Howard (USA)
Even
though he made a tournament-record number of saves against Belgium, the
American’s shot-stopping was not the most admirable aspect of his performances
in Brazil – and not only because most of the Belgian efforts were straight at
the goalkeeper, their forwards’ odd lack of composure seemingly making them
unable to spot Howard’s tendency to go low prematurely, a habit that Nani had exploited
earlier. That quibble aside, Howard’s influence seemed immense as his
leadership helped coax valiant resistance from defenders who might otherwise
have been torn apart. He inspired his team-mates with words and deeds.
Others are:
6 Raïs M’Bohli (Algeria)
7 Júlio César (Brazil)
8 Thibaut Courtois
(Belgium)
9 David Ospina (Colombia)
10 Tim Krul (Holland)
Hmmm... Two African "Keepers" in World Top 10. What is your message to Enyeama?
No comments:
Post a Comment