As Nigeria set sights on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire, the nation's hopes for a fourth continental title hang in the balance.
Traditionally, every Africa Cup of Nations-winning team relies on a foundation of a reliable goalkeeper, solid defence, dynamic midfield, and a potent attack.
Nigeria's strengths and weaknesses in these areas become pivotal in the Super Eagles's quest for glory.
The Super Eagles flaunt an impressive attacking unit spearheaded by Africa Player of the Year Victor Osimhen and complemented by a midfield, though decent, now grappling with a setback due to the unavailability of the linchpin, Wilfred Ndidi.
The Leicester City maestro, pivotal to both club and country, succumbed to injury, ruling him out of the tournament.
Stepping into Ndidi's considerably large-sized boots is Alhassan Yusuf, a merited replacement, yet the void left by Ndidi's absence is undeniable.
Ndidi's injury not only affects the defensive stability but also diminishes the creative flow in the midfield.
Once confined to a defensive midfielder role, Ndidi has metamorphosed into a dynamic force in the central midfield position this season.
The former Genk man's reputation was built on ball-winning finesse, tactical brilliance, and impeccable positional sense.
The ‘new Ndidi' not only preserves these qualities but injects a proactive dimension, significantly enhancing Leicester's creative endeavours.
This season alone, Ndidi has managed an impressive four goals and six assists in all competitions.
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In contrast, Ndidi's replacement, Yusuf, lacks the same level of creativity.
Yusuf's statistics, with one goal and three assists in all competitions for Antwerp, pale compared to Ndidi's impact.
The Antwerp star certainly brings his own strengths, but Ndidi's newfound creative juice would have been more invaluable to a rather static Super Eagles midfield.
Nigeria's attack, arguably the best in Africa, heavily hinges on midfield creativity to unlock their goal-scoring potential.
Ndidi's absence inadvertently severs a vital creative artery, thrusting added responsibility upon the shoulders of players like Alex Iwobi, Frank Onyeka, and Raphael Onyedika.
Head coach Jose Peseiro can take confidence in the Super Eagles' depth with wingers like Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, and Samuel Chukwueze, bolstered by the energy and attacking verve of full-backs Aina and Osayi-Samuel.
Together, they can produce a collective effort to compensate for the creative vacuum left by Ndidi's absence.
The onus lies on this ensemble of players to ensure the seamless transition of the supply line from the wings to the attack.
In essence, while the Super Eagles will undoubtedly feel the void created by Ndidi's absence, the arsenal within the squad remains potent enough to etch AFCON 2023 into the annals of Nigerian football history.
The crux of the matter rests in the collective stepping up to the challenge, ensuring that, even in Ndidi's absence, Nigeria remain an indomitable force in pursuit of continental glory.
Alhassan should have already been in the team before now. In games where ndidi was injured he could have been used so we know if he is good enough but no, NFF had to wait till a major competition and the injury of a major player before inviting him to play.
that being said , I hope the team plays with 3 in the midfield otherwise we will be overrun by most teams. Or we can play a 4-2-3-1 system with a double pivot in midfield. I can see this formation working for the team:
. UZOHO
. OSAYI SEMI. CALVIN. ZAIDU
. ALHASSAN. RAPHAEL.
. LOOKMAN IWOBI. BONIFACE
. OSIMHEN
WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK?
Good afternoon, with respect to the Nigerian team towards lifting a fourth Afcon title, its a big blow. Al Hassan Yusuf coming to replace ndidi is ok, but not the best of replacement to me as Al Hassan , lacks international experience. Ndidi is more or less like a box- 2- box midfielder , depending on the formation and one of the best in Africa. Though I don’t really know much of Al – Hassan, but I want to believe the coach knows best. The Ndidi vacuum might not necessarily show in the group stages, but when we approach the knockout stage, it would show as you need strength, skill, perseverance and experience to lock horns with big teams in Africa. I wish my country the very best. A suitable formation would be:
UZOHO/NWABILI (knockout stage)
AINA T/EKONG SEMI COLLINS
AL -HASSAN ONYEDIKA
LOOKMAN IWOBI CHUKWU EZE
OSIMEN/BONIFACE
For the group stages, we can be abit relaxed … uzohom aina, t/ekong, ajayi, collins, iwobi, eze, lookman, v. boniface and v. osimen