Afrigather The Tremendous Eagles registered their second disappointing end in 4 days as they may solely handle a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe on the Huye stadium in Rwanda on Sunday afternoon.
Listed here are Soccernet.ng‘s takeaways from that sport:
Tremendous Eagles’ assault is toothless with out Victor Osimhen
Napoli ahead Victor Osimhen scored ten of Nigeria’s 22 targets in six video games throughout qualification to assist Nigeria ebook a spot on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations event.
In his absence, the Tremendous Eagles have discovered the again of the web solely two occasions in two video games and missed a great deal of scoring possibilities to go away the nation’s World Cup hopes in jeopardy.
Nigeria certainly boast a number of thrilling attackers in Europe, however none of Victor Boniface, Umar Sadiq, Terem Moffi, and Taiwo Awoniyi might come to the crew’s rescue when wanted.
Secure to say, Nigeria stand no likelihood of impressing at Ivory Coast 2023 if Osimhen is just not within the crew.
Calvin Bassey is just not a centre-back
At Fulham with Marco Silva and the nationwide crew with Jose Peseiro, there’s a deliberate effort to transform Calvin Bassey from a left-back to a centre-back.
Nonetheless, outcomes throughout the board present that the transformation, irrespective of how good it appears on paper, is just not engaged on the pitch.
Bassey will get his positioning flawed virtually on a regular basis, strikers make runs previous him simply, and he does little overlaying for his centre-back companion. He nonetheless thinks and performs like a left-back.
The Tremendous Eagles have conceded first within the 4 video games Bassey and Semi Ajayi have began in defence.
This experimentation has not labored in the course of the World Cup qualifiers and won’t have been perfected earlier than the AFCON kicks off.
Peseiro would do effectively to contemplate how unstable the Tremendous Eagles’ defence seems in opposition to Lesotho and Zimbabwe and the way pleased that may make the Ivorians, Egyptians, and Senegalese.
Nigeria have conventional centre-backs in Kenneth Omeruo, William Troost-Ekong, Chidozie Awaziem, and Semi Ajayi, no matter their deficiencies are.
It will be a wise transfer for Peseiro to discover a appropriate pair amongst these.
Peseiro makes too many questionable choices
Lots of Peseiro’s choices, particularly his crew choice, have been illogical.
Peseiro disregarded Paul Onuachu and Alhassan Yusuf, who’re having the perfect time at Trabzonspor and Royale Antwerp, however referred to as up Joe Aribo and Umar Sadiq, who’re each struggling at Southampton and Actual Sociedad, respectively.
Aribo has began only one match for Southampton this season, however straight he goes into the primary eleven in a vital away sport.
Kelechi Iheanacho was Nigeria’s greatest participant in Uyo, however Peseiro benched him in Butare.
Nigeria is a rustic of about 200 million folks, and Francis Uzoho can’t be the perfect goalkeeper, even from his dwelling state of Imo. Nonetheless, Peseiro would slightly have a tortoise in between the posts than play anyone else.
Nigeria’s World Cup hopes in South Africa’s palms
After securing solely two factors from two video games, Nigeria will want a Moses-parting-the-Crimson-Sea type of miracle to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Jose Peseiro accountable for the nationwide crew.
Throughout ten grueling qualifying matches, the Tremendous Eagles, as constituted beneath Peseiro, can not match South Africa and Zimbabwe in Group C.
Peseiro’s crew lacks ardour, reveals zero creativity, and possesses no tact, grit, guts, or composure.
The three-time African champions have been sloppy and sluggish contained in the Huye Stadium and have been second-best to Zimbabwe for the perfect a part of the afternoon.
With two factors in two video games, Nigeria will go 4 factors behind South Africa ought to the Bafana Bafana beat Rwanda on Tuesday.
It can require a monumental comeback to overhaul the South Africans from that time onwards.
