Here is the follow-up form Mba! He scores!!!! Nigeria has the lead, and Sunday Mba scores his second of the tournament. Five minutes to half-time, and they have broken the deadlock.
The joy this goal brought to the faces of Nigerians 10 years ago is unqualified. It was a goal that sealed Nigeria’s third AFCON trophy after a 19-year wait. Stephen Keshi had been criticized for involving the home-based professionals in the team.
But at the end of the day, the latter gaffer was vindicated with his decisions had paid off, and those criticizing him forgot who was local or international; Nigeria had won the AFCON. Everything else is forgotten.
Ten years after the Super Eagles of Nigeria are yet to replicate that 2013 performance, and the battle between home-based players and foreign-based players is still on.
Fast forward to 2023, and the battle continues. But the Nigeria Football Federation has put on a mantra for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations outing – Let’s Do it Again. Yes, we would love to see it done again, but let’s analyze the Super Eagles. Can it be done again?
The question might seem unpatriotic, but let us analyze it together.
Jose Peseiro
The Portuguese does not seem like he knows this team yet. On top of that, he does not look like he is convinced with how he wants his team to play. Hence the almost constant poor performance under him.
Most recently, the poor start to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Two straight draws against teams Nigeria should be easily beating – Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
However, the gaffer has reiterated that he wants to “win the AFCON.”
But his tactics are questionable, and that remains a thing of concern for a lot of people.
4-4-2 is the formation
Jose prefers to play two strikers up top. Maybe because of the number of strikers available to him or he just prefers the formation.
However, the formation somewhat does not suit the players, especially the attackers, as most play different roles in their clubs.
Victor Osimhen for one plays alone up top in Napoli, he does not share his position with another giving him all the freedom. With another striker beside him, he will be cautious of his movement to avoid clashes of off-the-ball movement.
Ademola Lookman plays centrally for Atalanta in a 3-5-2 formation. In the Super Eagles, he plays far wide on the left. The freedom he enjoys from playing centrally has resulted in him scoring seven goals this season for the club, Atalanta’s highest.
Playing from the wings invertedly means he has to build a new idea in his head to be effective. So, looking at the 4-4-2 deployed by Jose, it might render the players ineffective.
Another problem is the inverted wingers in the formation. A 4-4-2 means your attack comes via the wings through crosses into the box. Hence, direct wingers are to be deployed.
But Jose prefers to play left-footed on the right and vice versa. That impedes the rate at which you put crosses in the box. Although the responsibilities of the crosses rest on the full-backs, unfortunately, our full-backs are not the best when it comes to crosses.
Analyze The Super Eagles: Can it be done again?
Yes, it can be done again. We have seen where the poorest teams in the tournament become the winners. We have also seen where the best team crashes out on the road.
But for the Super Eagles, let’s do it again, but not be by mouth.