ARE THE SUPER EAGLES READY FOR THE IMPENDING WORLD CUP?

As the World Cup draws closer Nigerians are no doubt solidly behind the Super Eagles to defy all odds, not necessarily to win the World Cup but to make a bold statement at the Russia 2018 World Cup. The Nigerian players and coach feel the same way too and are aiming at probably a Semi-final finish which will serve as their best outing as far as the World Cup is concerned. Since Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup was more or less flawless as they remained unbeaten throughout the qualifiers, they have arguably become the target of some high-profile teams who will want to test the waters with Nigeria and see if they are truly an outstanding side who defeated the likes of Cameroon and star-studded Algeria on their way to qualification.

On the surface Nigeria seems to be a team without blemish, however, beneath that surface are underlying problems which coach Gernot Rohr must seek redress on before the commencement of the World Cup.

Principal of them all is who will start between the sticks for Nigeria at the World Cup in Russia. Upon Vincent Enyeama’s premature retirement from Nigerian football in 2015, the Nigeria Football Federation were at crossroads over who would be the best replacement for him as it was believed that finding another Nigerian goalkeeper who could match Enyeama’s high standards was going to be a torrid task. Subsequently their attention was shifted to English-born Carl Ikeme who was excelling at Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers at the time, they coaxed him into picking Nigeria and he eventually made his Nigerian International debut in 2015. Ikeme proved to be a decent and long-lasting replacement for Enyeama and helped Nigeria in numerous matches with his vital saves. In July 2017, sadly, Ikeme was diagnosed with acute leukaemia during a pre-season check-up and was deemed unable to represent both club and country as he had to undergo chemotherapy as soon as the cancer was discovered.

There and then, Nigeria’s goalkeeping woes began. The next in line was Ikechukwu Ezenwa who plays for Ifeanyi Ubah in the Nigerian Professional Football League. Many opined that he lacks the essential experience needed to represent Nigeria at the biggest of stages while some had the notion that if given a few trials he would rise up to the task. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers first-leg clash with Cameroon, he had a near-perfect display and was dominant throughout the match. In the second-leg clash with Cameroon he exhibited certain weaknesses in his game play. He was not confident in coming out of his six-yard box to claim crosses and his saves were not solid enough, he was also culpable for Cameroon’s penalty. This was a reality check for the coach who thought he no longer had worries pertaining to the goalkeeping aspect of his team. Ezenwa’s subsequent World Cup qualifiers match against Zambia was full of poor showings on his part although he managed a clean sheet as Nigeria’s place at the World Cup was cemented through a lone-goal from Alex Iwobi. In Nigeria’s last qualifiers match against Algeria when Nigeria already had an unassailable lead at the summit of their group table, Daniel Akpeyi was used in Ezenwa’s stead. Though it is public knowledge that Akpeyi and Dele Ajiboye do not stand realistic chances of manning the goalposts for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup, they are merely back-ups whom the coach will only turn to as last resorts if push comes to shove.

As a result of Ezenwa’s inconsistency, Nigeria had to look for possible alternatives and 19-year-old Francis Uzoho’s name sprung up, he was a reserve goalkeeper at La Liga side Deportivo de la Coruna. He merely had two first team appearances for Deportivo in La Liga at the time. Uzoho was called up to the International team and made an half-time debut for Nigeria in her friendly against Argentina in November 2017 where he pulled off an excellent display throughout the second half as opposed to Daniel Akpeyi’s extremely poor first-half performance which culminated in his substitution at half-time. Subsequently, Uzoho was deemed a better replacement than Ezenwa and Akpeyi but for his age factor and inexperience many had doubts over his ability to keep in a competition of this magnitude. His lack of experience being more of a talking point as he is expected to come up against a number of high-profile players at the group stage when Nigeria play the likes of Croatia and Argentina. In the Eagles’ last International friendly against Serbia, Uzoho’s weaknesses were pointed out and this has put coach Gernot Rohr in an indecisive state; ultimately, who will start between the sticks at the World Cup for Nigeria now boils down to who is able to convince the coach to a reasonable extent with his performances before the time arrives.

Furthermore, the left back and right back positions are bothersome most especially the left back position. Abdullahi Shehu, a converted midfielder has shown he can rise up to the occasion as Nigeria’s first-choice right back but the left-back position is yet to be decided. Elderson Echiejile is currently 30 years of age and has held that position for many years, he played at the 2010 World Cup but missed the 2014 edition through injury. He obviously has the experience but his work-rate is questionable and his defensive prowess is not formidable too. This has led coach Gernot Rohr to experiment with Russian-born Brian Idowu in recent friendlies but his performances divides opinions. His debut match where he came on as a substitute for Ola Aina was against Argentina in which he scored the third goal via a fine curling effort, but his ability defensively still has a question mark over it. English-born Ola Aina who plays for Championship side Hull City on loan from Chelsea is a right-back who can also play at left-back like he did in the friendly against Argentina. His forte is going forward to assist the team offensively as he is able to take on opposing defenders, but he is also not sound defensively. It will turn out to be a decisive factor for the Super Eagles when Rohr chooses who he has confidence in considering they are all in his preliminary 30-man squad. The centre back pairing of William Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun famously called the “oyinbo wall” seems the right mix for the heart of the Eagles’ defence and no one is disputing that.

Looking at the midfield, it suffices to say that as long as Mikel remains in good shape, the midfield will be in balance. The midfield trio of Ogenyi Onazi, Wilfred Ndidi and John Mikel Obi are certain of their starting spot in the imminent World Cup barring any form of injury. Should injury befall any of them, they have back ups in Joel Obi, John Ogu and Oghenekaro Etebo but the latter trio have not been really tested at the highest level, only Joel Obi can boast of better experience though he was just recently called back into the squad after a lengthy exile from the team.

The Eagles’ attack is another worrisome aspect of the team. Odion Ighalo the first-choice centre forward of the Super Eagles can sometimes be inconsistent with his performances for both club and country and has had to endure goal droughts from time to time. There is hardly any back up for him who can be trusted to find the net when called upon. Kelechi Iheanacho cannot be classified as a top nine as Rohr uses him mostly as a support striker or behind the main nine. Other striking alternatives so far such as Henry Onyekuru, Anthony Nwakaeme and Anthony Ujah have faltered and have failed to make Rohr’s preliminary list for the World Cup. The latest inclusions are Simeon Nwankwo who is relatively unknown but was picked as a result of his blistering form for Serie A side Crotone in recent weeks and Junior Lokosa who currently leads the NPFL scoring chart with 18 goals. Both players are untested and the World Cup is not an avenue for experimentation.

The wings are however filled with talent with the likes of Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon and Ahmed Musa and the coach is not expected to have a selection headache in this regard as long as all the aforesaid players remain in top-notch form.

It is evident from the aforementioned talking points that the coach must find a solution to those areas of the team that can be detrimental to Nigeria’s World Cup campaign. Gernot Rohr has until June 4 to cut the 30-man list to the expected 23-man list for the World Cup but before then he must make the right selections if he intends to go far as planned. It will be interesting to see who makes the cut and which players are left out!

 

Ya sports guy,

Dominic “Prodigy”.