In Assembling Nigeria national Team (The Golden Boys) Expected to Win Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup - Analysts at the Sports Marketing Roundtable Enlists Kelechi Nwakali As the Missing Piece in the Jig-saw Puzzle?
By omission, the job has fell on the German tactician Gernot Rohr to assemble the jig-saw puzzle that will piece together the complete Nigerian squad expected to conquer the world in Qatar 2022.
By design or should I say, in the thinking of some analysts at the Sport Marketing Roundtable, it was Emmanuel Amunike who is expected to lead the onslaught in Qatar.
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It is part of the six to eight years extrapolation...after Nigeria eaglets won FIFA U17 World Cup back-to-back in 2013 and 2015; with so much promising talents. It was expected that if there's a well followed developmental structure, Nigeria would be able to raise a senior national team that can conquer the world in Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
We have watched with excitement the progress of some of these golden boys: Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Francis Uzoho who were part of the 2013 and 2015 Under 17 world conquests. And those who developed alongside like: Kenneth Omeruo who played for the U17 national team earlier in 2009 and U20 in 2011; Wilfred Ndidi and Moses Simon who also played for the U20 national team in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
To join the golden boys is Alex Iwobi the cousin of Nigeria football icon Austin Okocha, who came through the ranks of Arsenal youth team to establish himself in the Premiership. And Gernot Rohr did well in piecing together some players of Nigerian descents in Europe, who are now seen as part of the golden team: Williams Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun and Maduka Okoye.
Who Are the Missing Pieces in the Jig-saw Puzzle?
These are insights from Benson Chukwueke, CEO, GreenHunters Sports International and a Sport Marketing consult, as first published here on CheerOnNigeria site.
1. Emmanuel Amunike was the head coach of Nigeria golden Eagles who total white washed their opponents at the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup, with some kind of mysterious tactics that cut the attention of FIFA technical committee.
The committee deduced that Amunike could start a new football philosophy in Nigeria, which could lead to the West African country winning FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2022.
2. Kelechi Nwakali is expected to be the playmaker of this golden team. He showed so much promising talents at the 2015 FIFA U17 world Cup, but has struggled since then to establish himself in top flight football. Even though he play in the Spanish Segunda, he hasn't still established himself as the playmaker of AD Alcorcon.
As it is today, no player has established himself as the playmaker of the Super Eagles. Both Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo has struggled in that position, so the role is still open for grabs.
3. Isaac Success is one of the players expected to explode at top flight football, but chronic injury has hammered his progress a lot and this season he has only appeared 10 times for Champiomship side Watford. With the caliber of strikers available for selection into the Super Eagles, Success may not find much opportunity to be part of 2022 plan.
4. Taiwo Awoniyi is one of the golden boys who hasn't rised to his expected billing. Many analysts said he could be another Rashid Yekini, but his career has fluctuated greatly and nobody can tell for sure if he will eventually hit such form that could include him to the Nigeria final squad for Qatar. He has a full one year to prove his quality to Gernor Rohr
4. Musa Mohammed, the infatigable right back captain of the victorious 2013 Golden Eaglets and the most valuable player, may have been out of searchlight at his Croatia club: HNK Grorica. Moreover, he has also struggled, only playing 51% of his clubs games this season. The possibility of Mohammed returning to the national team is slim.
