Pick Your Top 8 Midfieders for AFCON Squad.....

[Enugu II]

I don't think we should be going to that AFCON without Alhasan Yusuf.

Sometimes I wish we didn’t have this many forwards and just keep things simple. It seems like the coaches are having a hard time dropping some of these strikers/forward players for central midfielders.

You aren’t far from the truth man. All we need are 3 strikers, as in outright 9s. Osimhen, Bonniface and Moffi or Sadiq, Whether it is 23 or 27 names. We are already lucky to have Iheanacho deputising as an attacking midfielder or winger. It’s a simple decision for a coach with common sense. We need at most 4 wingers to support these guys. So easy to pick; Chucky, Simon, Lookman, plus 1 (Tella, Musa, even Nacho). Then, even all they don’t play he can use the training time to build on our midfield personnel and give some other MF players a chance to blend with the team, ie Fisayo D-B, Yusuf, Nwakali, etc. , then the likes of Daga, Michael etc. it’s so unfortunate we find ourselves in this position with an unreasonable coach with unreasonable tactics.

If you had three strikers listed in such a squad then more than likely you cannot have two in a game. You are more likely limited to a formation that starts with a single striker. However, because of the abundance of strikers, the Manager sees value in playing a 2-striker formation and that means you must have reserve cover for such a formation. In such a case at the barest minimum you must have four strikers. At best, you really should have five or six. In this case, Nigeria lists 4.5 (I am just going by recollection but will need to check the list) with Iheanacho as the 0.5 since he doubles also as a central midfielder.

On the midfield issue. there are more than enough midfielders listed given that lots of those listed as forwards are actually wide midfielders like Moses, Chuikwueze, Lookman etc. All those are midfielders who play out wide in a 4-4-2. Nevertheless, the truth is that Nigeria sorely lacks attacking mids or those with such a skill. It shows not just on the list here but on several lists that Nigeria often announces. Iwobi is really the only one with such a gift but the Manager prefers to play him further back because of his deep involvement with the play and his energy. If you play him further up, then you must find someone else who is comfortable with the ball and regularly presents self as outlet for passes from the defense. Who else is able to do that on this team? That is a question that needs an answer. Nigeria simply lacks that. Yet, Peseiro does not want the ball hoofed up to the forwards, he wants attack built up with ball possession but Nigeria lacks adequate personnel to consistently do that.