On Matchday four of the TotalEnergies 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series, Senegal, South Africa and Burkina Faso all qualified for the tournament. Senegal beat Mozambique 1-0, South Africa defeated Liberia 2-1 and Burkina Faso drew 1-1 with Togo. Nigeria’s Super Eagles were the bookies’ favourite to be in this number of countries punching their tickets for the continental competition. This was expected because of the quality that Nigeria boasts, the antecedents of the Super Eagles and the circumstances surrounding the timing of the qualifiers with Nigerian strikers on top of their game.
The Super Eagles beat Sierra Leone 2-1 at home and pummelled Sao Tome and Principe 10-nil away in the first two legs of the series. Facing Guinea Bissau on matchday three, the expectation was that Nigeria, which is ranked 83 places above their West African opponents in the current FIFA ranking, were going to cruise to a qualification place over the two legs in the March international break. The reality turned out quite differently as Nigeria disappointingly slumped to a 1-0 upset at home. It was a disgraceful performance in an equally embarrassing Abuja stadium that had seen better days and was more untended than lush and green as could have been expected of a national stadium. The Nigeria Football Federation had to apologise to football fans and promised that everything will be done to rectify the loss when the teams clashed again three days later in Guinea Bissau.
THEWILL SportsLive analysis of the return fixture showed that Guinea-Bissau, whose appreciation of the quality against them was down-to-earth, employed an ultra-defensive strategy throughout the game. It was a technical decision which worked for them in the first half. The hosts sat back and soaked up all the pressure from the Super Eagles and limited the opportunities for Nigeria’s attacking players to take advantage of the gap in individual quality between the two teams. While Victor Osimhen, Terem Moffi, Samuel Chukwueze, and even Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo had chances to score, they were either wasteful or stopped by the hosts’ defence.
However, as the game progressed, it appeared that all the constant running to close up openings in the back line and sprinting up field to break into counter attacks, started to take a toll on the Guinea Bissau’s players. As the strain set in and the players tired out, there was a noticeable drop in their defensive intensity. This allowed Nigeria to create more chances, with Osimhen hitting the post and substitute Joe Aribo forcing a save from the goalkeeper. Even defender Kenneth Omeruo joined the attacking players in search of a goal, which showed their desperation to win the game.
Despite their numerous chances, Nigeria was unable to convert any of them until the half-hour penalty which the referee, Samir Guezzaz, wasted no time to award for a tackle on Bright Osayi-Samuel by Fali Candé inside the box. Over two legs, the Super Eagles could not score in open play, which highlights their lack of clinical finishing in front of goal. This was a major concern as the essence of scoring goals to win games, cannot be overemphasised especially at this level. Osimhen’s attempt to find a goal was demonstrated by how he was incessantly flagged offside. It is another demonstration of the absence of technical direction that left the Napoli forward mostly isolated in some moments of the game. This needs to be addressed by the coaching staff to ensure that he gets more support from his teammates.
In terms of the Super Eagles’ overall strategy, their use of a 4-4-2 formation has not allowed them to perform to the best of their abilities. Despite boasting a squad of individual talented players, the formation appears to be a continuing hindrance to their attacking play. Coach Jose Peseiro seems reluctant to experiment with different formations and has been slow to make changes during games when the strategy at play and the players involved are not delivering expected dividends.
The work to improve the performance must begin from goal. The goalkeeper position is an area of grave concern, with doubts about Francis Uzoho’s ability to be a reliable goalkeeper for the team. Even if he has shown flashes of brilliance, he has also been prone to costly errors as in the goal that won the Djurtus the first leg in Abuja. While he kept a clean sheet in Guinea-Bissau, his performance was not flawless and he failed to inspire confidence in the times when he was called to action. The two local keepers called up as backup options, John Noble and Ikechukwu Ezenwa, are unlikely to pose a threat to Uzoho’s position and this will not be enough to get the best out of the 24-year-old Omonoia FC keeper. One solution could be to promote Maduka Okoye, but his inactivity at Watford is a concern.
With Uzoho suspended for the next international break, the team will need to find a solution to this keeper issue quickly ahead of the next international break in June.
Furthermore, the midfield formation has also been a concern, with Alex Iwobi struggling with too much defensive responsibility. This has put more pressure on Wilfred Ndidi, who has not been in the same top form since recovering from injury. If Ndidi can return to top form and fitness, Nigeria will have a much stronger midfield. However, if he is unable to do so, Nigeria will continue to struggle in the midfield. This is a major concern as the midfield is a crucial third of the pitch that can make or break a team’s chances of winning games. It means the team may need to consider alternative options. Joe Aribo, who plays for Rangers in Scotland, has shown that he can be a creative force in midfield, and he could be given a more advanced role in the team. Another option could be to give more playing time to younger players such as Shehu Abdullahi or Frank Onyeka.
There have also been issues with the use of wingers, particularly with Samuel Chukwueze’s inconsistent performances. Ademola Lookman has shown himself to be a greater goal threat, but was overlooked in favour of Chukwueze, who put in a terribly poor performance in the return game against Guinea-Bissau. The Villarreal flank player repeatedly shot wildly instead of passing to his teammates. If he were clinical with his shooting, it may have been understandable but that he was not even manageably hitting the target made it shocking that the technical crew left him on until the 81st minute. Lookman has shown himself to be a greater goal threat since moving to Atalanta and could be given more playing time in the team to bring that ruthlessness to bear.
In front, attention returns to Osimhen. He is currently the leading goalscorer in Serie A and top candidate for the Capocannoniere award this season. He thrives as a striker that can trouble any defensive formation but, over two legs, Osimhen cut a frustrated figure up top of the team formation. What was painfully obvious was that the team was not playing to his strengths. Osimhen is a quick and powerful striker who thrives on through balls and crosses, but the team’s current formation neglected this and did not allow for adventurous wing-backs to provide him with these opportunities. When chances opened, there appeared to be a lack of synergy in the transition to the forward line. The ball was either lost, possession was taken, passes were without direction or selfish plays ruined taking advantage of such openings, as with Chukwueze’s antics. If the team can come up with a new formation that allows for more adventurous flank play as they do in Napoli, they may be able to get the best out of Osimhen and create more chances. And, he will have less to be frustrated about.
There were some other performances that the return leg witnessed. Semi Ajayi performed admirably, displaying impressive aerial prowess and helping to secure the team’s defensive line. Zaidu Sanusi, however, struggled to make an impact, with the opposition frequently targeting him on the left flank. Perhaps the standout player of the night was Osayi-Samuel, whose dynamic and creative play in midfield helped to create several chances for the team. Unfortunately, many of these opportunities were squandered, with Osayi-Samuel himself narrowly missing the target with a powerful effort over the crossbar. He did enough to earn the penalty that won the game, so credit to him. Captain Ahmed Musa, who came on as substitute in the latter stages of the match, did not have enough time to make a significant impact.
Overall, while there are certainly areas of concern for the Nigerian team, there is still time to make improvements before the final group games and before the AFCON next year in Cote d’Ivoire. The team will need to address their issues with the goalkeeper position, midfield, and wingers if they are to qualify and perform up to par in Cote d’Ivoire next year. Peseiro, if he is still here next year, will need to be more willing to experiment with new formations and make changes during games as needed. With the right adjustments, Nigeria can still be a strong contender in the tournament.
As a footnote, there were ugly scenes of fans invading the pitch at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau, after the final whistle went up. This forced the Super Eagles to hurriedly leave the field for the dressing room. This is a worrying event that needs to be addressed by the Nigerian Football Federation and the Confederation of African Football to ensure that it is punished to deter future occurrences.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
