How Nigeria Produced a Golden Generation of Goalscorers

[Bigpokey24]

There isn’t really any reason other than convention for international teams to reveal the positions of the players the manager has called up. It is nevertheless a convention that most teams follow.

That’s probably because the make-up of the squad by position is usually barely worth a mention. Germany and Spain, however, made it a talking point by making it customary to choose so many midfielders that there was barely any space – or indeed need – for any forwards. This is now so extreme for Hansi Flick’s side that Germany’s squads are now listed with midfielders and forwards grouped together.

Nigeria’s current squad, meanwhile, caught the eye for another reason. It is so top heavy that Nigeria manager José Peseiro has barely selected any midfielders at all, simply because there are too many top-level forwards who couldn’t be left out. We are right in the middle of a golden age for Nigerian number nines.

Peseiro, a former manager of FC Porto, Sporting CP (twice) and SC Braga (twice), and one time assistant to Carlos Queiroz at Real Madrid, has selected an incredibly attacker-heavy squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with São Tomé and Príncipe.

Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest), Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Gift Orban (Gent) and Moses Simon (Nantes) have all made the cut as centre-forward options. Wide forwards Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan) and Ademola Lookman (Atalanta) add further firepower to the front line, while the list of midfielders is made up of just four players.

On top of that slew of attacking talent that was selected in this squad, Nottingham Forest’s Emmanuel Dennis, Southampton’s Paul Onuachu, Nice’s Terem Moffi, West Brom’s Josh Maja, Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers and Montpellier’s exciting summer signing Akor Adams – who scored a one-minute-42-second brace on his Ligue 1 debut – all did not make the current squad. Oh, and neither did former Leicester City forward and Nigeria’s all-time leading appearance-maker, Ahmed Musa (108 caps), who until recently was captaining the side. Those names are rather less glamorous than those selected but as back-ups to the eight first-choice forwards in the latest squad, they are pretty good options.

In Osimhen, Awoniyi and Boniface, Nigeria have three in-form number nines playing and scoring regularly in a top European league. In Simon, they have a 58-cap forward who can play across the front line and has played in Europe’s top five leagues for more than five seasons. In Iheanacho, they have an experienced centre-forward who had spent the eight seasons before the current one playing in the Premier League. Orban is still just 21 years old but is smashing life in the Belgian Pro League, and was linked all summer with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

That really is remarkable levels of depth. Nigeria currently boast firepower that even the best club teams can only dream of.

Since the start of last season in Europe’s top five leagues, midfielders and forwards from only nine other countries have provided more goals than Nigerians (120). Nigeria are ahead of some major footballing nations in these rankings, including Belgium (100), the Netherlands (93), Denmark (72), Croatia (55) and every other African country.

Nigerian midfielders and forwards are also scoring at a quicker rate than most other nations, too, with a goal every 274 minutes. That is the second-most frequent rate of the 36 countries with midfielders or forwards who were on the field for more than 10,000 minutes in that time, behind Norway (a goal every 238 minutes).

Nigeria’s numbers are so good because of the volume of players they have scoring consistently, but also because they don’t have anything like as many non-goalscoring midfielders playing in Europe’s best leagues. Nigerians have played 32,843 minutes in midfield or attack compared to 19,956 minutes by Norwegians, with Norway’s goal tally largely made up by Erling Haaland (42 goals), Martin Ødegaard (17) and Alexander Sørloth (14). Only one other Norwegian midfielder or attacker – making a total of four – has managed five goals since the start of 2022-23, while nine Nigerian midfielders and forwards have scored five goals or more. Orban, meanwhile, has 17 goals in 20 league games in Belgium.

Despite amassing almost 13,000 more minutes than Norwegians, there are only eight Nigerian midfielders or forwards who have failed to score a single goal in that time, compared to 11 players from Norway. It fits with the theme that Nigeria are producing more players who threaten the opposition’s goal and are good enough to play in Europe’s biggest leagues than midfielders whose primary job is to move the ball around, create for others and help protect their own goal.

Nigeria’s skewed data set is reflected in the imbalance in Peseiro’s latest squad: there are far more high-quality goalscorers than midfielders.

So, why are Nigeria suddenly producing so many top-class forwards while lacking elsewhere?

“Part of it is just coincidence,” Nigerian sports journalist Solace Chukwu tells Opta Analyst. “But part of it is actually a function of having such a poor youth coaching setup in Nigeria. That sounds weird to say, but what that means is that when scouts come to Nigeria, it is easier to notice the things that strikers are good at; things like explosive movements. Midfielders and sometimes even defenders play more cerebral roles, and as players aren’t coached as well in Nigeria as they are elsewhere, strikers tend to stand out more.”

Chukwu says young forwards growing up in Nigeria are more likely to develop the raw characteristics needed to succeed abroad.

“Nigeria doesn’t have a clear plan for developing their own players,” he says. “So, scouts will be on the look out for speed, athleticism, the things that can be easily translated to another environment, and strikers therefore tend to get picked up more. Then, they move to Europe and explode from there.”

Convincing players who were born in or grew up in England to Nigerian parents to choose to play for Nigeria has helped improve the overall quality of their squad, too. Not only has that boosted their options up front, with London-born Maja committing to Nigeria, for example, it has also meant that technically gifted players in other positions, who have enjoyed a footballing education in elite surroundings at an English club, are now creating chances for Nigeria’s elite number nines. Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo, who all grew up in London, are the most prominent of those players.

It makes for exciting times for the Super Eagles. One of the highest scorers in four of Europe’s top five leagues in 2023-24 is Nigerian, with Osimhen (3 goals in Serie A), Awoniyi (3, Premier League), Boniface (4, Bundesliga) and Adams (3, Ligue 1) all starting the new campaign in red-hot form. The only other nations with three or more players to score at least three goals already this season are France and England, who clearly have far greater resources than Nigeria.

Osimhen is the star of this new team, having fired Napoli to a historic title win last season, and he will surely end up at one of Europe’s superclubs before long. His movement and ability to get into dangerous positions is a major strength of his, but his finishing – both with his feet and with his head – is his greatest asset. Since the start of 2022-23, only Haaland (34) and Kylian Mbappé (29) have scored more non-penalty goals in Europe’s top five leagues than Osimhen (26), who has outperformed his non-penalty expected goals by 5.25 (a better rate than Mbappé’s 5.07).

Chukwu says Awoniyi is “a little less refined” than the other options at Nigeria’s disposal, but the fact he is “very coachable” means it is no surprise to see him thriving in the Premier League at Nottingham Forest.

It is Boniface, though, according to Chukwu, who is the most exciting of Nigeria’s forwards because there is more to his game than the others. He has started life at Leverkusen in some style, with four goals in three games. Of the 13 players in Europe’s top five leagues who have scored four or more goals so far, Boniface is the only one to also have two assists to his name.

“He really does everything you’d want from a striker to a very high level,” Chukwu says of a player who has just received his first call-up to the international scene. “He’s a real complete striker who can lead the line himself and can also help make other strikers look good if he is playing in a system with two strikers.”

That is something Peseiro has naturally had to consider given the wealth of strikers he has to choose from, but apart from briefly and unsuccessfully testing out a 3-5-2 formation, he has largely stuck to playing with one up front. Boniface’s rise may now force him into a rethink.

“It’s a little different now than it was a year ago,” says Chukwu. “I get the impression that Peseiro isn’t averse to another experiment [with two up front], but inevitably, some really good players are going to miss out.

“It is a good problem to have up front, but there is also a lack of depth in midfield and not many good options out wide, so it is quite the conundrum for the manager. If he fails, people are going to ask why he didn’t do more with all of this talent handed to him on a plate.”

It is now almost 30 years since Nigeria captured the imagination of the world at USA ’94, while in more recent times, they last won the Africa Cup of Nations more than a decade ago, in 2013. They missed out on a spot at the Qatar World Cup last year and have also failed to qualify for three of the last six AFCON tournaments. That represents a period of real underachievement for the sixth most populous country in the world. With the highest GDP in Africa and almost 100 million more people than any other African nation, the ingredients should surely be there for some form of success.

They have already secured qualification for January’s AFCON tournament, and given the wealth of talent they have up front, is it time to start dreaming of a return to glory?

“I would say underachievement has been Nigeria’s thing for a long time,” says Chuwku. “We’ve always had a lot of talent – so much potential to be great – but it never quite happens. If the discussion was purely about how much talent can Nigeria produce, the sky really is the limit, especially with strikers.

“In terms of putting the right conditions in place for these fantastic players to flourish – like they do in Europe – that’s another story entirely.”

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Useless article.

Ultimately, the true quality of our attack line will be determined by whichever trio or partnership that’s most effective when we don’t have the ball. Even though we have a lot of top attackers, the real metric that will determine the teams success will be pressing,ball recovery, assists of the front 3 in a 433.it’ll indicate how disruptive they are without the ball and how supportive they are when defending. Other teams are not stupid. If they choke our MF there’s no way we can supply our fancy frontline, the game becomes scrappy and you play into their hands. Remember Denmark 4 - SE 1? It’ll still work against us .

[Dammy]

There isn’t really any reason other than convention for international teams to reveal the positions of the players the manager has called up. It is nevertheless a convention that most teams follow.

That’s probably because the make-up of the squad by position is usually barely worth a mention. Germany and Spain, however, made it a talking point by making it customary to choose so many midfielders that there was barely any space – or indeed need – for any forwards. This is now so extreme for Hansi Flick’s side that Germany’s squads are now listed with midfielders and forwards grouped together.

Nigeria’s current squad, meanwhile, caught the eye for another reason. It is so top heavy that Nigeria manager José Peseiro has barely selected any midfielders at all, simply because there are too many top-level forwards who couldn’t be left out. We are right in the middle of a golden age for Nigerian number nines.

Peseiro, a former manager of FC Porto, Sporting CP (twice) and SC Braga (twice), and one time assistant to Carlos Queiroz at Real Madrid, has selected an incredibly attacker-heavy squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with São Tomé and Príncipe.

Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest), Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Gift Orban (Gent) and Moses Simon (Nantes) have all made the cut as centre-forward options. Wide forwards Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan) and Ademola Lookman (Atalanta) add further firepower to the front line, while the list of midfielders is made up of just four players.

On top of that slew of attacking talent that was selected in this squad, Nottingham Forest’s Emmanuel Dennis, Southampton’s Paul Onuachu, Nice’s Terem Moffi, West Brom’s Josh Maja, Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers and Montpellier’s exciting summer signing Akor Adams – who scored a one-minute-42-second brace on his Ligue 1 debut – all did not make the current squad. Oh, and neither did former Leicester City forward and Nigeria’s all-time leading appearance-maker, Ahmed Musa (108 caps), who until recently was captaining the side. Those names are rather less glamorous than those selected but as back-ups to the eight first-choice forwards in the latest squad, they are pretty good options.

In Osimhen, Awoniyi and Boniface, Nigeria have three in-form number nines playing and scoring regularly in a top European league. In Simon, they have a 58-cap forward who can play across the front line and has played in Europe’s top five leagues for more than five seasons. In Iheanacho, they have an experienced centre-forward who had spent the eight seasons before the current one playing in the Premier League. Orban is still just 21 years old but is smashing life in the Belgian Pro League, and was linked all summer with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

That really is remarkable levels of depth. Nigeria currently boast firepower that even the best club teams can only dream of.

Since the start of last season in Europe’s top five leagues, midfielders and forwards from only nine other countries have provided more goals than Nigerians (120). Nigeria are ahead of some major footballing nations in these rankings, including Belgium (100), the Netherlands (93), Denmark (72), Croatia (55) and every other African country.

Nigerian midfielders and forwards are also scoring at a quicker rate than most other nations, too, with a goal every 274 minutes. That is the second-most frequent rate of the 36 countries with midfielders or forwards who were on the field for more than 10,000 minutes in that time, behind Norway (a goal every 238 minutes).

Nigeria’s numbers are so good because of the volume of players they have scoring consistently, but also because they don’t have anything like as many non-goalscoring midfielders playing in Europe’s best leagues. Nigerians have played 32,843 minutes in midfield or attack compared to 19,956 minutes by Norwegians, with Norway’s goal tally largely made up by Erling Haaland (42 goals), Martin Ødegaard (17) and Alexander Sørloth (14). Only one other Norwegian midfielder or attacker – making a total of four – has managed five goals since the start of 2022-23, while nine Nigerian midfielders and forwards have scored five goals or more. Orban, meanwhile, has 17 goals in 20 league games in Belgium.

Despite amassing almost 13,000 more minutes than Norwegians, there are only eight Nigerian midfielders or forwards who have failed to score a single goal in that time, compared to 11 players from Norway. It fits with the theme that Nigeria are producing more players who threaten the opposition’s goal and are good enough to play in Europe’s biggest leagues than midfielders whose primary job is to move the ball around, create for others and help protect their own goal.

Nigeria’s skewed data set is reflected in the imbalance in Peseiro’s latest squad: there are far more high-quality goalscorers than midfielders.

So, why are Nigeria suddenly producing so many top-class forwards while lacking elsewhere?

“Part of it is just coincidence,” Nigerian sports journalist Solace Chukwu tells Opta Analyst. “But part of it is actually a function of having such a poor youth coaching setup in Nigeria. That sounds weird to say, but what that means is that when scouts come to Nigeria, it is easier to notice the things that strikers are good at; things like explosive movements. Midfielders and sometimes even defenders play more cerebral roles, and as players aren’t coached as well in Nigeria as they are elsewhere, strikers tend to stand out more.”

Chukwu says young forwards growing up in Nigeria are more likely to develop the raw characteristics needed to succeed abroad.

“Nigeria doesn’t have a clear plan for developing their own players,” he says. “So, scouts will be on the look out for speed, athleticism, the things that can be easily translated to another environment, and strikers therefore tend to get picked up more. Then, they move to Europe and explode from there.”

Convincing players who were born in or grew up in England to Nigerian parents to choose to play for Nigeria has helped improve the overall quality of their squad, too. Not only has that boosted their options up front, with London-born Maja committing to Nigeria, for example, it has also meant that technically gifted players in other positions, who have enjoyed a footballing education in elite surroundings at an English club, are now creating chances for Nigeria’s elite number nines. Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo, who all grew up in London, are the most prominent of those players.

It makes for exciting times for the Super Eagles. One of the highest scorers in four of Europe’s top five leagues in 2023-24 is Nigerian, with Osimhen (3 goals in Serie A), Awoniyi (3, Premier League), Boniface (4, Bundesliga) and Adams (3, Ligue 1) all starting the new campaign in red-hot form. The only other nations with three or more players to score at least three goals already this season are France and England, who clearly have far greater resources than Nigeria.

Osimhen is the star of this new team, having fired Napoli to a historic title win last season, and he will surely end up at one of Europe’s superclubs before long. His movement and ability to get into dangerous positions is a major strength of his, but his finishing – both with his feet and with his head – is his greatest asset. Since the start of 2022-23, only Haaland (34) and Kylian Mbappé (29) have scored more non-penalty goals in Europe’s top five leagues than Osimhen (26), who has outperformed his non-penalty expected goals by 5.25 (a better rate than Mbappé’s 5.07).

Chukwu says Awoniyi is “a little less refined” than the other options at Nigeria’s disposal, but the fact he is “very coachable” means it is no surprise to see him thriving in the Premier League at Nottingham Forest.

It is Boniface, though, according to Chukwu, who is the most exciting of Nigeria’s forwards because there is more to his game than the others. He has started life at Leverkusen in some style, with four goals in three games. Of the 13 players in Europe’s top five leagues who have scored four or more goals so far, Boniface is the only one to also have two assists to his name.

“He really does everything you’d want from a striker to a very high level,” Chukwu says of a player who has just received his first call-up to the international scene. “He’s a real complete striker who can lead the line himself and can also help make other strikers look good if he is playing in a system with two strikers.”

That is something Peseiro has naturally had to consider given the wealth of strikers he has to choose from, but apart from briefly and unsuccessfully testing out a 3-5-2 formation, he has largely stuck to playing with one up front. Boniface’s rise may now force him into a rethink.

“It’s a little different now than it was a year ago,” says Chukwu. “I get the impression that Peseiro isn’t averse to another experiment [with two up front], but inevitably, some really good players are going to miss out.

“It is a good problem to have up front, but there is also a lack of depth in midfield and not many good options out wide, so it is quite the conundrum for the manager. If he fails, people are going to ask why he didn’t do more with all of this talent handed to him on a plate.”

It is now almost 30 years since Nigeria captured the imagination of the world at USA ’94, while in more recent times, they last won the Africa Cup of Nations more than a decade ago, in 2013. They missed out on a spot at the Qatar World Cup last year and have also failed to qualify for three of the last six AFCON tournaments. That represents a period of real underachievement for the sixth most populous country in the world. With the highest GDP in Africa and almost 100 million more people than any other African nation, the ingredients should surely be there for some form of success.

They have already secured qualification for January’s AFCON tournament, and given the wealth of talent they have up front, is it time to start dreaming of a return to glory?

“I would say underachievement has been Nigeria’s thing for a long time,” says Chuwku. “We’ve always had a lot of talent – so much potential to be great – but it never quite happens. If the discussion was purely about how much talent can Nigeria produce, the sky really is the limit, especially with strikers.

“In terms of putting the right conditions in place for these fantastic players to flourish – like they do in Europe – that’s another story entirely.”

This is the sort of information that should be used to entice Nigeria eligible midfielders to opt for us!
I’m surprised that Michael Folorunsho of Hellas Verona was not called up despite his desire to catch the eye of our national team selectors

[gochino]

I would have preferred it if we had so many quality midfielders with few strikers. Didn't Spain win the world cup with no strikers? Even Guardiola won the league with no traditional number 9.

[Bigpokey24]

I would have preferred it if we had so many quality midfielders with few strikers. Didn't Spain win the world cup with no strikers? Even Guardiola won the league with no traditional number 9.

Germany have failed to get out of the group stages of the last 2 worldcups without a striker.

[Damunk]

There isn’t really any reason other than convention for international teams to reveal the positions of the players the manager has called up. It is nevertheless a convention that most teams follow.

That’s probably because the make-up of the squad by position is usually barely worth a mention. Germany and Spain, however, made it a talking point by making it customary to choose so many midfielders that there was barely any space – or indeed need – for any forwards. This is now so extreme for Hansi Flick’s side that Germany’s squads are now listed with midfielders and forwards grouped together.

Nigeria’s current squad, meanwhile, caught the eye for another reason. It is so top heavy that Nigeria manager José Peseiro has barely selected any midfielders at all, simply because there are too many top-level forwards who couldn’t be left out. We are right in the middle of a golden age for Nigerian number nines.

Peseiro, a former manager of FC Porto, Sporting CP (twice) and SC Braga (twice), and one time assistant to Carlos Queiroz at Real Madrid, has selected an incredibly attacker-heavy squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with São Tomé and Príncipe.

Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest), Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Gift Orban (Gent) and Moses Simon (Nantes) have all made the cut as centre-forward options. Wide forwards Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan) and Ademola Lookman (Atalanta) add further firepower to the front line, while the list of midfielders is made up of just four players.

On top of that slew of attacking talent that was selected in this squad, Nottingham Forest’s Emmanuel Dennis, Southampton’s Paul Onuachu, Nice’s Terem Moffi, West Brom’s Josh Maja, Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers and Montpellier’s exciting summer signing Akor Adams – who scored a one-minute-42-second brace on his Ligue 1 debut – all did not make the current squad. Oh, and neither did former Leicester City forward and Nigeria’s all-time leading appearance-maker, Ahmed Musa (108 caps), who until recently was captaining the side. Those names are rather less glamorous than those selected but as back-ups to the eight first-choice forwards in the latest squad, they are pretty good options.

In Osimhen, Awoniyi and Boniface, Nigeria have three in-form number nines playing and scoring regularly in a top European league. In Simon, they have a 58-cap forward who can play across the front line and has played in Europe’s top five leagues for more than five seasons. In Iheanacho, they have an experienced centre-forward who had spent the eight seasons before the current one playing in the Premier League. Orban is still just 21 years old but is smashing life in the Belgian Pro League, and was linked all summer with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

That really is remarkable levels of depth. Nigeria currently boast firepower that even the best club teams can only dream of.

Since the start of last season in Europe’s top five leagues, midfielders and forwards from only nine other countries have provided more goals than Nigerians (120). Nigeria are ahead of some major footballing nations in these rankings, including Belgium (100), the Netherlands (93), Denmark (72), Croatia (55) and every other African country.

Nigerian midfielders and forwards are also scoring at a quicker rate than most other nations, too, with a goal every 274 minutes. That is the second-most frequent rate of the 36 countries with midfielders or forwards who were on the field for more than 10,000 minutes in that time, behind Norway (a goal every 238 minutes).

Nigeria’s numbers are so good because of the volume of players they have scoring consistently, but also because they don’t have anything like as many non-goalscoring midfielders playing in Europe’s best leagues. Nigerians have played 32,843 minutes in midfield or attack compared to 19,956 minutes by Norwegians, with Norway’s goal tally largely made up by Erling Haaland (42 goals), Martin Ødegaard (17) and Alexander Sørloth (14). Only one other Norwegian midfielder or attacker – making a total of four – has managed five goals since the start of 2022-23, while nine Nigerian midfielders and forwards have scored five goals or more. Orban, meanwhile, has 17 goals in 20 league games in Belgium.

Despite amassing almost 13,000 more minutes than Norwegians, there are only eight Nigerian midfielders or forwards who have failed to score a single goal in that time, compared to 11 players from Norway. It fits with the theme that Nigeria are producing more players who threaten the opposition’s goal and are good enough to play in Europe’s biggest leagues than midfielders whose primary job is to move the ball around, create for others and help protect their own goal.

Nigeria’s skewed data set is reflected in the imbalance in Peseiro’s latest squad: there are far more high-quality goalscorers than midfielders.

So, why are Nigeria suddenly producing so many top-class forwards while lacking elsewhere?

“Part of it is just coincidence,” Nigerian sports journalist Solace Chukwu tells Opta Analyst. “But part of it is actually a function of having such a poor youth coaching setup in Nigeria. That sounds weird to say, but what that means is that when scouts come to Nigeria, it is easier to notice the things that strikers are good at; things like explosive movements. Midfielders and sometimes even defenders play more cerebral roles, and as players aren’t coached as well in Nigeria as they are elsewhere, strikers tend to stand out more.”

Chukwu says young forwards growing up in Nigeria are more likely to develop the raw characteristics needed to succeed abroad.

“Nigeria doesn’t have a clear plan for developing their own players,” he says. “So, scouts will be on the look out for speed, athleticism, the things that can be easily translated to another environment, and strikers therefore tend to get picked up more. Then, they move to Europe and explode from there.”

Convincing players who were born in or grew up in England to Nigerian parents to choose to play for Nigeria has helped improve the overall quality of their squad, too. Not only has that boosted their options up front, with London-born Maja committing to Nigeria, for example, it has also meant that technically gifted players in other positions, who have enjoyed a footballing education in elite surroundings at an English club, are now creating chances for Nigeria’s elite number nines. Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo, who all grew up in London, are the most prominent of those players.

It makes for exciting times for the Super Eagles. One of the highest scorers in four of Europe’s top five leagues in 2023-24 is Nigerian, with Osimhen (3 goals in Serie A), Awoniyi (3, Premier League), Boniface (4, Bundesliga) and Adams (3, Ligue 1) all starting the new campaign in red-hot form. The only other nations with three or more players to score at least three goals already this season are France and England, who clearly have far greater resources than Nigeria.

Osimhen is the star of this new team, having fired Napoli to a historic title win last season, and he will surely end up at one of Europe’s superclubs before long. His movement and ability to get into dangerous positions is a major strength of his, but his finishing – both with his feet and with his head – is his greatest asset. Since the start of 2022-23, only Haaland (34) and Kylian Mbappé (29) have scored more non-penalty goals in Europe’s top five leagues than Osimhen (26), who has outperformed his non-penalty expected goals by 5.25 (a better rate than Mbappé’s 5.07).

Chukwu says Awoniyi is “a little less refined” than the other options at Nigeria’s disposal, but the fact he is “very coachable” means it is no surprise to see him thriving in the Premier League at Nottingham Forest.

It is Boniface, though, according to Chukwu, who is the most exciting of Nigeria’s forwards because there is more to his game than the others. He has started life at Leverkusen in some style, with four goals in three games. Of the 13 players in Europe’s top five leagues who have scored four or more goals so far, Boniface is the only one to also have two assists to his name.

“He really does everything you’d want from a striker to a very high level,” Chukwu says of a player who has just received his first call-up to the international scene. “He’s a real complete striker who can lead the line himself and can also help make other strikers look good if he is playing in a system with two strikers.”

That is something Peseiro has naturally had to consider given the wealth of strikers he has to choose from, but apart from briefly and unsuccessfully testing out a 3-5-2 formation, he has largely stuck to playing with one up front. Boniface’s rise may now force him into a rethink.

“It’s a little different now than it was a year ago,” says Chukwu. “I get the impression that Peseiro isn’t averse to another experiment [with two up front], but inevitably, some really good players are going to miss out.

“It is a good problem to have up front, but there is also a lack of depth in midfield and not many good options out wide, so it is quite the conundrum for the manager. If he fails, people are going to ask why he didn’t do more with all of this talent handed to him on a plate.”

It is now almost 30 years since Nigeria captured the imagination of the world at USA ’94, while in more recent times, they last won the Africa Cup of Nations more than a decade ago, in 2013. They missed out on a spot at the Qatar World Cup last year and have also failed to qualify for three of the last six AFCON tournaments. That represents a period of real underachievement for the sixth most populous country in the world. With the highest GDP in Africa and almost 100 million more people than any other African nation, the ingredients should surely be there for some form of success.

They have already secured qualification for January’s AFCON tournament, and given the wealth of talent they have up front, is it time to start dreaming of a return to glory?

“I would say underachievement has been Nigeria’s thing for a long time,” says Chuwku. “We’ve always had a lot of talent – so much potential to be great – but it never quite happens. If the discussion was purely about how much talent can Nigeria produce, the sky really is the limit, especially with strikers.

“In terms of putting the right conditions in place for these fantastic players to flourish – like they do in Europe – that’s another story entirely.”

This is the sort of information that should be used to entice Nigeria eligible midfielders to opt for us!
I’m surprised that Michael Folorunsho of Hellas Verona was not called up despite his desire to catch the eye of our national team selectors

I am pretty certain this kind of information (and more) is available to our national team coaches.
It’s also the type of info that our armchair critics will ridicule depending on who is seen to be using it.
Remember ”Software”.

[Bigpokey24]

Useless article.

Ultimately, the true quality of our attack line will be determined by whichever trio or partnership that’s most effective when we don’t have the ball. Even though we have a lot of top attackers, the real metric that will determine the teams success will be pressing,ball recovery, assists of the front 3 in a 433.it’ll indicate how disruptive they are without the ball and how supportive they are when defending. Other teams are not stupid. If they choke our MF there’s no way we can supply our fancy frontline, the game becomes scrappy and you play into their hands. Remember Denmark 4 - SE 1? It’ll still work against us .

These are ways Countries doing well in football figure out how to improve, but no, since you saw a thread opened by bigpokey, you continue to derail it , because such research are too difficult for you to comprehend. You only like surface stuff. If you aren't interested in Nigerian football and how stats like these can help fix the deficiency of the Se, i suggest you move on . You can always support ghana, CIV, Togo etc

[Tbite]

Can't we Pep guardiola some of our players? Although it is probably more viable to do so for a club than a NT.
In a club you get a lot of time together and a lot of minutes.
I was thinking of repurposing some of them.

[OJI]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

[Bigpokey24]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

what???????????????come on , you are messing with us on CE

[Scipio Africanus]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Very interesting ideas. Could just solve a lot of our midfield woes because with Osimhen's energy we will have more possession in midfield. I like this idea. In fact I like it very much!

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Very interesting ideas. Could just solve a lot of our midfield woes because with Osimhen's energy we will have more possession in midfield. I like this idea. In fact I like it very much!

No need to put square pegs in round holes. We should eliminate the role of the dancing midgets like Simon and lookman by moving them to AM backup. In a 433 our depth would look like this.

Striker- Oshimen, Awoniyi
LWF - Boniface, Orban
RWF- Chukwueze, Nacho

AM - Iwobi, Simon, Lookman
CM - iwobi, Onyedika
DM - Ndidi, Onyeka

Imho, the best attacking trio that supports the mf the best and presses the best will eventually turn out to be the best combination.

[Scipio Africanus]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Very interesting ideas. Could just solve a lot of our midfield woes because with Osimhen's energy we will have more possession in midfield. I like this idea. In fact I like it very much!

No need to put square pegs in round holes. We should eliminate the eliminate the role of the dancing midgets like Simon and look by moving them to AM backup. In a 433 our depth would look like this.

Striker- Oshimen, Awoniyi
LWF - Boniface, Orban
RWF- Chukwueze, Nacho

AM - Iwobi, Simon, Lookman
CM - iwobi, Onyedika
DM - Ndidi, Onyeka

Imho, the best attacking trio that supports the mf the best and presses the best will eventually turn out to be the best combination.

We need a solid midfield that can put consistent pressure on the opponent. This requires serious lungs, to keep the ball, create opportunities for the forwards and also to press when they don't have the ball. The game is usually decided in midfield. Iwobi's stamina and fitness has increased tremendously over the past year. So that is a solid midfield choice. Who else can match his workrate in that middle AND is able to supply ? Maybe Orban? IMO we need someone like Osimhen to drop deep occasionally to add to the pressure on the opponent in midfield.

Simon should be kept far away from the team. We don't need his brainless football. Nacho should be a sub brought on after 70 minutes or so if we are chasing a game and need goals. I am not convinced any longer by Ndidi but he will have to do.

TL DR: We need numbers and pressure in midfield! Without those, we will struggle to create chances.

[Damunk]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Very interesting ideas. Could just solve a lot of our midfield woes because with Osimhen's energy we will have more possession in midfield. I like this idea. In fact I like it very much!

No need to put square pegs in round holes. We should eliminate the eliminate the role of the dancing midgets like Simon and look by moving them to AM backup. In a 433 our depth would look like this.

Striker- Oshimen, Awoniyi
LWF - Boniface, Orban
RWF- Chukwueze, Nacho

AM - Iwobi, Simon, Lookman
CM - iwobi, Onyedika
DM - Ndidi, Onyeka

Imho, the best attacking trio that supports the mf the best and presses the best will eventually turn out to be the best combination.

We need a solid midfield that can put consistent pressure on the opponent. This requires serious lungs, to keep the ball, create opportunities for the forwards and also to press when they don't have the ball. The game is usually decided in midfield. Iwobi's stamina and fitness has increased tremendously over the past year. So that is a solid midfield choice. Who else can match his workrate in that middle AND is able to supply ? Maybe Orban? IMO we need someone like Osimhen to drop deep occasionally to add to the pressure on the opponent in midfield..

Sounds like a version of ‘Total Football’ to me.
Player positional interchangeability was a key element of that strategy.

[Scipio Africanus]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Very interesting ideas. Could just solve a lot of our midfield woes because with Osimhen's energy we will have more possession in midfield. I like this idea. In fact I like it very much!

No need to put square pegs in round holes. We should eliminate the eliminate the role of the dancing midgets like Simon and look by moving them to AM backup. In a 433 our depth would look like this.

Striker- Oshimen, Awoniyi
LWF - Boniface, Orban
RWF- Chukwueze, Nacho

AM - Iwobi, Simon, Lookman
CM - iwobi, Onyedika
DM - Ndidi, Onyeka

Imho, the best attacking trio that supports the mf the best and presses the best will eventually turn out to be the best combination.

We need a solid midfield that can put consistent pressure on the opponent. This requires serious lungs, to keep the ball, create opportunities for the forwards and also to press when they don't have the ball. The game is usually decided in midfield. Iwobi's stamina and fitness has increased tremendously over the past year. So that is a solid midfield choice. Who else can match his workrate in that middle AND is able to supply ? Maybe Orban? IMO we need someone like Osimhen to drop deep occasionally to add to the pressure on the opponent in midfield..

Sounds like a version of ‘Total Football’ to me.
Player positional interchangeability was a key element of that strategy.

Correct. We can't get away with conceding the midfield against half decent teams. Concede the midfield and the goal scoring chances will dry up, while they multiply for the opponent. It will take lungs to put up a decent battle for midfield control. Passengers need not apply.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Very interesting ideas. Could just solve a lot of our midfield woes because with Osimhen's energy we will have more possession in midfield. I like this idea. In fact I like it very much!

No need to put square pegs in round holes. We should eliminate the eliminate the role of the dancing midgets like Simon and look by moving them to AM backup. In a 433 our depth would look like this.

Striker- Oshimen, Awoniyi
LWF - Boniface, Orban
RWF- Chukwueze, Nacho

AM - Iwobi, Simon, Lookman
CM - iwobi, Onyedika
DM - Ndidi, Onyeka

Imho, the best attacking trio that supports the mf the best and presses the best will eventually turn out to be the best combination.

We need a solid midfield that can put consistent pressure on the opponent. This requires serious lungs, to keep the ball, create opportunities for the forwards and also to press when they don't have the ball. The game is usually decided in midfield. Iwobi's stamina and fitness has increased tremendously over the past year. So that is a solid midfield choice. Who else can match his workrate in that middle AND is able to supply ? Maybe Orban? IMO we need someone like Osimhen to drop deep occasionally to add to the pressure on the opponent in midfield..

Sounds like a version of ‘Total Football’ to me.
Player positional interchangeability was a key element of that strategy.

Correct. We can't get away with conceding the midfield against half decent teams. Concede the midfield and the goal scoring chances will dry up, while they multiply for the opponent. It will take lungs to put up a decent battle for midfield control. Passengers need not apply.

I just hope that people have the patience allow this team to be built properly because it takes time, religion and some disappointments to really calibrate a team to perform at the level we hope to. We must be patient with the players, coaches and even the nff. I know winning Afcon is a goal but I feel it puts too much undue pressure on the team, we must have longer term goals than that.

[bret- hart]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Radical?? No you are high on PCP. Why would you put your most lethal striker in Midfield? WTH is wrong with some Nigerians. If we dont have midfielders the scout for bloody midfielders. I put up a thread listing out 10 midfielders playing week in week out for their clubs but are never called up to the NTs. that is where our problem lies lazy scouting by the coaches and the NFF.

[Tobi17]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Radical?? No you are high on PCP. Why would you put your most lethal striker in Midfield? WTH is wrong with some Nigerians. If we dont have midfielders the scout for bloody midfielders. I put up a thread listing out 10 midfielders playing week in week out for their clubs but are never called up to the NTs. that is where our problem lies lazy scouting by the coaches and the NFF.

Very bizarre take to suggest Osimhen be put in midfield, any regular football guy on the streets can easily put together at least 10 Nigerian midfielders who are more than overdue for a call up, it's either we have some braindead scouts working for the NFF or maybe the NFF morons are intentionally sabotaging our football by not understanding the need for ball progressing MIDFIELDERS to supply our plethora of strikers...like I can pick one or two cybereagles members on here who can put together a solid 23 man squad, better than the clowns that are paid millions of our taxpayers money only to call up 4-5 midfielders with no brains to understand the need for dynamism and depth.

[Tbite]

Square pegs in round holes makes it sound like it is not how football works...

Footballers switching positions is MORE the norm than I would say otherwise. At one point in their carer I might go as far as to say that all players have moved around a bit.

And it often works wonders. Of course it comes with dangers, and it often also fails. BUT the point is, we cannot be too afraid to even consider it. It is a legitimate football strategy. I am not saying we do it, but it should be on the table. Let us not act like it is radical. It is NOT radical.

I would consider the deployment of Mikel Obi for example as part of this idea. As much as we can say that Mourinho changed him, the fact remains that Mikel played far more games as a traditional DM than he did any other position/role, whether it be CAM or CM or a box-box midfielder etc. The way Mikel played for Nigeria does NOT reflect the majority of his experience. In essence, we played him out of position. Does not matter whether it suited him or if it was his original inclination. In football, your position is essentially that which you become accustomed to. And a deep lying midfielder is what he became accustomed to.

So, if we had the courage to play Mikel more offensively than he would typically play, let us not act like assigning tactics like lets say free-roaming is radical. We have been doing it all along.

In Football to be honest, ANYTHING that works is NOT stupid. If you could play a goalkeeper as a strategy and it worked, people would legitimately do it. Nobody cares about how things look in football. The only thing that matters are results. And can we get results by being a bit unconventional? My answer is maybe.

[Tbite]

People thought playing from the back was stupid, it got results. Wingers that don't stick to the flank but cut in? Strange! Got results! Players operating within tight zones or perhaps even more strangely, moving freely yet ensuring zero overlap? Weird! Got results. Teams without strikers or false 9s? Strange, sometimes works. All sorts of ideas that have been tested in football.

I wouldn't do something stupid like moving Osimhen to the midfield, because of how valuable he is to us, but if someone says to me, give him a free role, that does not sound like something so stupid that it should not be spoken of. MAYBE we consider it. MAYBE. Football today looks very little like what I watched growing up and I am not that old lol. Goes to show that football is an incredibly flexible sport.

[Damunk]

Out of the box thinking is now required.

The 1982 memorable Brazilian World cup squad supposedly had five or six players who were #10s in their clubs.
Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Éder, Júnior, Oscar.

Their targetman, Serginho, the then in-form leading goal scorer in the Brazilian league.
When Serginho failed to deliver in that epic Brazil vs. Italy encounter in which Italy won, he was subbed off, and Socrates moved upfront.

Of all the strikers, Osimhen seems more likely to have a greater impact for the SuperEagles in a different role that he plays at his club. We might have to move Osimhen to attacking midfield. He sees the opportunities. He makes the passes. He pounces on sleeping opposing players, etc. He might burn out, but 70 mins of him in a midfield role could be frightening to opposing teams.

Push say Victor Boniface as the #9. If he fails to deliver, over time, Osimhen goes back forward.

Radical measures! More innovative tactics coming soon!

Radical?? No you are high on PCP. Why would you put your most lethal striker in Midfield? WTH is wrong with some Nigerians. If we dont have midfielders the scout for bloody midfielders. I put up a thread listing out 10 midfielders playing week in week out for their clubs but are never called up to the NTs. that is where our problem lies lazy scouting by the coaches and the NFF.

I agree.
Not Osimhen. We just have to find more suitable players to adapt, if that is what we need to do.
I’m still thinking Orban from the current squad.
Or Akpom if he gets an invitation - but he needs to perform at Ajax first.
Then there’s Boniface’s teammate, Nathan Tella.

The options are coming.
We just need to be patient and allow for the inevitable occasional setbacks, like Kongi said.

But we all know Nigerians don’t do hiccups well at all.
Next thing we are seeking to sack the coach and discard any particular player we can easily scapegoat, especially if he’s a “foreigner”.

[Damunk]

It really sucks that we are not playing a high profile friendly this FIFA window.
All these players really need to gel.
ST&P isn’t really going to reveal much about the team.

I’m even concerned that our players might not even have the right mindset because of that 10-0 massacre.

[OJI]

This plethora, and diverse attacking talent has lulled people into some weird state.

What is different from the last AFCON campaign?
What variables remain the same?

We still have the attacking talent.
We still have the inability to create multiple scoring opportunities for the strikers.
We still depend on wishful thinking, and the individual brilliance of the player.

The quality of the invited players is not in question.
The focus , IMHO, is to have a flourishing midfield. One or two of the strikers MUST be converted. We are working with what is in camp. Not the 200+million un scouted midfield generals the coach refused to select.

The legendary George Weah of Liberia played as a striker for AC Milan. In the national team, he did play as a defensive midfielder in some matches. Flexibility, sacrificing, and showcasing his ability to play multiple positions in the service of his country. Did Liberia have the midfield set up, and players with football IQ that George was used to? When he ran into space, didn't some players/fans challenge why he ran without the ball?

Does Nigeria have the midfield set up, and understanding Osimhen, Orban, Boniface et al are used to , and that helped them generate numbers that made them invited to camp?

It appears some fans got infected with ROHRitis, where mental, and tactical flexibility is anathema to them.

Which player amongst the attacking players invited could create additional impact playing in a position they don't play for their club?
How many of the invited "strikers" have shown an ability to score from outside the box? Consistently.
How many of the invited "strikers" have shown an ability to score with teams employing the low block?
How many of the invited "strikers" have shown an ability to score from a free kick outside the box? Consistently.
How many attacking sequences have Nigeria shown to create with teams employing the low block?
In the current set up, which player gets doesn't get to play to their strengths as opposed to the system highlighting their deficiencies?

Don't you think a more cynical team/coach would sacrifice a a player to injure Osimhen? Remember Italy's' elimination of Amokachi, and Amunike in WC 94? And Westerhoff's response?
What would be Nigeria's response, as it appears the coach, and fans never imagined a scenario without Osimhen as the focal point?

Have we truly moved on from the last AFCON adventure?