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Does Nigeria national team, Super Eagles, possess what it takes to win African Cup of Nation (AFCON) in January 2024? Do they have the players, the team and the coaching staff that you could beat your chest and say, Nigeria will truly be one of the real contenders for AFCON title in Cote d'Ivoire?
Unless you just want to sound patriotic, but with the reality on ground today, Super Eagles doesn't stand a chance to win AFCON 2024. Well, that's my opinion. And I will be happy to see the team prove me wrong.
Let us look at the four departments of the game. Nigeria may have one of the best strikers in Africa: Victor Osimhen, Terem Moffi, Victor Boniface... Then some fairly good attacking midfielders: Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman and Kelechi Iheanacho, but has, perhaps, the greatest challenge in the core midfield.
The team lack good and natural creative midfielders that can hold the ball, dicate the pace of the game and make the right passes to the attrackers, not Alex Iwobi, nor Joe Aribo can play the role of a playmaker successfully.
Most of our midfielders, with the exception of Wilfred Ndidi, are poor ball winners and are terrible defensively; in ball recovery when they lose play.
The defenders: Calvin Bassey, Kenneth Omeruo, Ola Aina, William Troost-Ekong, Jamliu Collins, Zaidu Sanusi, Semi Ajayi are just average players who cannot stand the kind of pressure they may face at AFCON. They are most times, largely disorganized and succumb to slightest pressure.
The worst challenge is the goalkeeping department. You could rightly say Super Eagles doesn't have a goalkeeper: Francis Uzoho, Maduka Okoye, Adebayo Adeleye nor John Noble can't hold their own in a competition of this magnitude. I hear NFF are trying to get Vincent Enyeama back to the national team after his retirement over five years ago.
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It is difficult to understand Jose Peseiro's coaching style after one year period, and having renewed his contract, we are yet to feel or see his impact on the team. Under his management, Super Eagles have been playing as most disorganised team in history.
The team find it hard to play as a unit, can't play zonal defending or high pressing tactics; can't launch a successful attack or counter attack. It is just individual effort and we have seen the team struggle against underdogs like Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau...
The NFF is another area of much challenge. The Nigerian football governing body always fall short in supporting and managing the team's financial requirement and other logistics. Unpaid wages and allowances usually brew uproar and team discontentment during major tournaments. Same with training facilities, hotel accommodation... These are some of the reasons I feel Super Eagles doesn't stand a chance to win in Cote d'Ivoire.
