OPINION: Is Omeruo's arrival the beginning of the end for the 'Oyinbo Wall'?
With Omeruo in the heart of the Super Eagles defence, Troost-Ekong is beginning to get his rhythm once again
Late Stephen Keshi was never a fan of Kenneth Omeruo on the ground that the former U-17 defender is pretty too young to play for Super Eagles.
But on that faithful morning of December 13, 2012, as Keshi sat back to feast on his lunch while we waited at SCOAN palatial restaurants for Late Prophet TB Joshua to emerge, the Kenneth topic came up again as we chatted over our meals.
While I pleaded with the Big Boss to give the young man a chance, Keshi insisted Omeruo starts with U-21, but after several pleas from yours sincerely, the late gaffer caved in and agreed to invite him.
I've never met Kenneth all my life but I saw a young player with so many talents muster, and that was the reason behind my recommendation. He was eventually invited and today, the rest is history.
While he is loved and celebrated by both Nigerian and Cameroonian soccer fans, Kenneth Omeruo has continued to keep a low profile as he goes about his defensive duties with all diligence.
For a player whose football skills were honed in wasteland kick about while he was growing up, it is evident that the slings and arrows that Omeruo carries on the football pitch here in Garoua are beginning to turn Super Eagles into an impregnable side.
While some of his U-17 teammates now find themselves on a downward spiral, heading for a sporting life of diminishing returns due to injury and bad choice of clubs, Kenneth is working hard to become an exception to that rule.
Certain critics complain that while he is one the best with aerial balls, he needs to work hard enough on his passes, and that is true to a degree, but the FC Leganes center-back seems to have put all that behind him when he confidently delivered killer passes that led to Nigeria's opening goal against Egypt at the on-going African Cup of Nations.
" Of course, you just have to be good with your passes if you are playing in Spain, and Leganes has really helped me to improve on that," he told 234sportsng.com
Ekong Looks Relaxed With Omeruo Partnership
With Omeruo in the heart of the Super Eagles defence, William Troost- Ekong is beginning to get his rhythm once again after he struggled to come to terms with his defensive role under manager Claudio Ranieri at Watford this season.
The Nigerian soccer family were thrown into a moment of despair after Glasgow Rangers defender, Leon Balogun withdrew from AFCON due to injury, but that paved the way for Omeruo to prove why Rohr was wrong to confine him to bench-warming duties during his reigns as Super Eagles manager.
Chidozie Awaziem came first in the pecking order of defenders that can effectively pair Ekong in the heart of Super Eagles defence, but as the former Leganes defender continues to battle with poor fitness, it was a moment Omeruo was waiting for.
He took up the challenge and he has not looked back since then.
The Fading Oyinbo Wall
The pair of William Ekong and Leon Balogun terrorized attackers. Ask Cameroon, Algeria, and Zambia, and they will all chorus and sing from the same hymn book of how these two foreign breed defenders kept them at bay during the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
But that reign is currently fading away as Balogun continues to struggle with his form and injuries.
But it is, therefore, no small achievement that Omeruo has stepped in to help steady the ship at a time the senior national team is sinking fast into defensive morass under Rohr.
As accolades continue to pour in for the former Chelsea star, it might just be the beginning of the end for the much-celebrated Oyinbo wall of the Super Eagles.
After all, any defender who can pass with accuracy should be celebrated.
