Former Super Eagles winger Garba Lawal has explained why Paul Onuachu continues to shine for Trabzonspor but struggles to replicate that form with Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 31-year-old striker has been in prolific form in Turkey, where he has registered 22 league goals this season, according to Transfermarkt.
However, his performance for the Super Eagles is markedly different, with only four goals in 34 appearances for the national team.
Why Paul Onuachu thrives at Trabzonspor
Lawal believes Onuachu’s success at club level is largely down to regular playing time and tactical understanding.
At Trabzonspor, the team is built to suit his strengths, particularly his aerial dominance and ability to hold up play, which allows him to consistently deliver in front of goal.
With regular game time and structured attacking patterns, the former Genk striker has been able to maintain confidence, which helps with scoring more goals. Lack of regular playing time saw him perform below par in England.
Why Onuachu struggles with Nigeria
In contrast, Lawal insists international football presents a completely different challenge.
“It’s important to remember that national team football is a different ball game. Even in my day, we had strikers like Jonathan Akpoborie, who struggled internationally but would return to his club and score a brace or a hat-trick immediately.” he told Footy Africa.
The former Super Eagles star pointed to limited preparation time as a major factor.
“At club level, you have the luxury of time and consistent minutes to find your rhythm. With the national team, you don’t have time to gel; you might only get two or three sessions before a match. If you don’t produce instantly, you risk being dropped.”
The bigger picture for the Super Eagles
The Super Eagles' setup does not get the best out of players whose club systems differ significantly from the national team setup, and this can be pinned on the regular playing time, and this is not limited to the 2013 AFCON champions alone, we can also see many outstanding players, past and present, perform better for their club than their country.
Despite his struggles in green and white, Onuachu remains one of Nigeria’s most consistent scorers in Europe, and his form in Turkey continues to raise questions about how to best use him at the international level.
However, the best option would be to find a system that brings out the same clinical edge Onuachu shows week in and week out for Trabzonspor.
