By Tony Nwaka
The Nigerian senior football team, the Super Eagles, is on the brink of history in Ivory Coast. They’ve reached the semifinals of the 2023 AFCON competition by defeating Angola 1-0. Just two more victories and they will be crowned the new African champions. I have attempted below an overview of the team, starting with the head coach, Jose Peseiro.
PESEIRO: The Portuguese has succeeded within 30 days to reverse the negative opinions of Nigerians about his performance. His tactical innovation of a fluid 6-man defensive formation is bringing the desired victories, though with narrow margins. Yes, the current team is still a work in progress, but, at least, we can confidently say that he is building his core structure around Nwabali, Ekong, Ajayi, Aina, Bassey, Zaidu, Onyeka, Iwobi, Lookman, Simon, Osimhen. Remember that it took Nigeria’s most successful coach, Clemence Westerhof, five years to perfect his formidable arsenal of Rufai, Eguavoen, Okechukwu, Okafor, Iroha, Oliseh, Okocha, Amunike, Amokachi, Yekini, and Finidi. Will Peseiro get better with time?
NWABALI: A great discovery. His confidence between the posts is phenomenal and his saves are astonishing. Just think of that 4th minute breathtaking goal-line block that would have given Angola the lead. His commanding presence reminds me of such greats as Chilavert of Paraguay, Shilton of England, Buffon of Italy, Nkono of Cameroon, and, of course, our own Rufai. Nwabali will go places. Strangely, our scouts didn’t notice him all these years.
AINA: A delight to watch. The way he floats gracefully up and down the right flank is exemplary, just like what Marcelo, the Real Madrid and Brazilian player, was doing on the left side. But against Angola, Aina looked somewhat withdrawn. Wasn’t as expressive as he’d been. Could it be he was tired? Or was it just a tactical instruction from the coach to be less adventuresome? All the same, he’s a pleasant bundle of skills and technique.
BASSEY: A dogged fighter. Reminds me of our Benedict Iroha and the Brazilian Roberto Carlos, though not with their lightning offensive forays. His uncompromising defensive solidity is also reminiscent of two Italian legends of catenaccio; Gattuso and Gentile. Indeed, Claudio Gentile so frustrated the youthful Maradona at Espana ’82, that the Argentinian derisively called him a caveman. But there’s something I noticed in the Angolan match that Bassey would have to work on; his temperament. His furious outburst against unfavourable decisions could be his undoing and might be collectively damaging in crucial situations. Aside from that, Bassey is simply another German machine.
EKONG: Rock of Gibraltar. An irrepressible warhorse. The central pillar of the Nigerian defence. I thought the absence of Balogun, with whom he formed the famed Oyibo Wall, would hinder his performance at this AFCON. But his defensive excellence has elevated him to the planes of the Italian Cannavaro, Cameroonian Rigobert Song, and Spanish Sergio Ramos. Thankfully, Ekong has been so professional in his tackles that he hasn’t drawn those notorious red cards that blighted the proficiency of Sergio Ramos. Ekong is simply superb.
AJAYI: Noiselessly efficient. It would take an expert eye to note the indispensable role of this inconspicuous monster. Indeed, calm waters run deep. He’s the quintessential libero and sweeper blended in one indefinable package. His types are rare. The closest recollection I have of his semblance is probably our Yisa Shofoluwe, whom the legendary Ernest Okonkwo nicknamed the Dean of Defence. Looks harmless, yet tremendously impregnable. Ajayi seems not to be there until you cross his path only to discover an impenetrable fortress.
ZAIDU: A brilliant defender. But he is lacking awfully in offensive technique. He appears to be one of the two weak links in Peseiro’s assemblage. While his defensive qualities are beyond doubt, something has to be done about his contribution to our attack force. If he does not improve on his performance when the team is pushing forward, then he may have to be dropped in our post-AFCON matches, and let’s experiment with the pair of Onyeka and Ndidi. Or he’ll be strictly instructed to always pass the ball and never cross the centre line. Let him just focus on his defensive duties, for which he has undeniable competence.
ONYEKA: An impressive replacement for Wilfred Ndidi. He has demonstrated a remarkable capacity at the gate of our defence line. But he still needs to sharpen his support for our strike force so that he can be admitted into the elite class of the Sunday Olisehs, Ogenyi Onazis, John Obi Mikels, Blockbuster Alloysius Atuegbus, and Frenchman Ngolo Kante. Onyeka is a footballer of boundless potential. But he appeared slightly off-form against Angola.
IWOBI: An intelligent attacking midfielder. Although lacking the genius of his uncle, Jay Jay Okocha, Iwobi seems to be the only spark in our creative midfield department. But, I’m sorry to say this, he is the other weak link we have in our current formation (Zaidu is the first). It looks like Iwobi is not able to sufficiently adapt to Peseiro’s innovative formation. He does not track back in support of the defence, unlike Moses Simon who does so effortlessly. And, most times you find Iwobi loitering idly by when he should be chasing the opponent. I want to believe he will return to his brilliant self. I mean, you only need to recall his exploits at Arsenal, Everton, Fulham, and the sublime combination he once had with Iheanacho, to know that Iwobi still carries that creative talent in Jay Jay’s bloodline.
SIMON: The pocket dynamite of the Super Eagles. Fast, inventive and precise, you undermine his small stature to your peril; just like Bebeto of Brazil. I wished he had released the ball to Lookman on his second brilliant run. That would have given us the second goal against Angola. No defence can stop Moses Simon on a good day, and he seems to have peaked at this AFCON. His pacy combination with Osimhen and Lookman has created a lethal attacking threat for opposing teams. And his ability to fly back to support the defence distinguishes him from the pack. Simon combines the agility of Emanuel Amunike with the inventiveness of Humphrey Edobor.
LOOKMAN: The archetypal representation of vision, pace, power, and precision. Did you notice that his goals were one touch? No trapping, no repositioning, no hesitation. He hits the ball as it gets to him and, boom! The net is already shaking. If you blend the precision of Filippo Inzaghi, the vision of Kanu Nwankwo, and the creativity of Austin Jay Jay Okocha, with the grit of Daniel ‘The Bull’ Amokachi, there is Ademola Lookman. A prodigious talent who knows the right place to be at the right time. Lookman might just grow into the African Messi.
OSIMHEN: A tireless fighter with tremendous predatory instincts. His goalscoring ability may have failed him at critical junctures, but his presence alone has stampeded many defences to the graveyard. Yes, he may not have been hammering in the desired goals, but his excellent teamwork has remained a driving force for the Super Eagles. Defenders know he is one of the most dangerous attackers in the world. Incidentally, as they focus on him, Lookman and Simon would be doing the damage. That is how potent the Peseiro boys are at this AFCON.
And when you look at the bench and see that we still have Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester, Samuel Chukwueze of AC Milian, Terem Moffi of Nice, and Bruno Onyemaechi of Boavista; when you see that the dreaded big teams like Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Tunisia, and Algeria have all fallen by the wayside, then you’ll realise that AFCON 2023 may have been ordained for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
