Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign got off on mixed footing, winning their opening game against Madagascar before suffering a miserable defeat to Guinea-Bissau on matchday two.
Three points from the opening two matches leave the Super Eagles placed second in the standings, three points adrift from leaders Guinea-Bissau and two points above both Madagascar and Tanzania.
Given the considerable contrast in results from the opening two matches, plenty has been learnt about Eric Chelle’s side, and here, Bet9ja take a look at the seven biggest takeaways from Nigeria’s AFCON qualifiers.
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Nigeria prone to slow starts
Nigeria have now conceded the first goal of the game within the opening 25 minutes in each of their three outings, including conceding after 16 minutes against Madagascar and after 15 minutes against Guinea-Bissau.
A lack of concentration in the opening stages has been their downfall on both occasions, leaving them with an early mountain to climb and forcing Nigeria’s entire gameplan to quickly change.
If Nigeria are to improve going forward, then ensuring they are up to speed in the opening minutes and avoid an early setback will be crucial.
Reliance on Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen is undoubtedly Nigeria’s star player, and the striker’s absence was sorely felt in the two matches, especially the 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau.
Although George Ilenikhena showed flashes of quality, including scoring, in the win against Madagascar, Nigeria converted just two of their 22 shots, allowing Madagascar to stay in the game and make for a nervier ending than desired.
Osimhen’s absence was then particularly felt in the defeat to Guinea-Bissau, with Akor Adams and Taiwo Awoniyi both unable to assert themselves on the game, which gave their opponents the confidence to step forward and consistently challenge, and win, the ball before quickly moving forward.
Osimhen has the ability unlike other Nigerian strikers to scare defenders into retreating thanks to his pace, power, clinical finishing and ability on the ball, while his relentless pressing out of possession adds another dimension to the Super Eagles’ performances.
Ilenikhena shows promise
While Osimhen’s absence was sorely felt, Nigeria fans will be able to take some confidence from the promising performance of Ilenikhena against Madagascar, and Super Eagles supporters will certainly be hoping the youngster can go on to become an ideal partner for Osimhen.
Ilenikhena got on the scoresheet on his debut and was a repeated threat throughout the match, taking five shots and having six touches in the opposition box.
While his contribution from the bench in the defeat to Guinea-Bissau was far less impressive, supporters will be hoping to see Ilenikhena continue to improve in a Super Eagles shirt and go on to become their next star striker in the years to come.
Defensive issues
Alongside having a knack for conceding early, Nigeria have now conceded in all of their last four competitive fixtures, as well as six of their last seven matches across all competitions – discounting the Unity Cup.
That becomes especially worrying when factoring in that Madagascar were ranked 104th and Guinea-Bissau ranked 132nd in the FIFA rankings ahead of their clashes with Nigeria.
Lack of midfield and defensive control
The defensive struggles can be partly put down to Nigeria’s lack of control in the middle of the park, with Guinea-Bissau in particular able to repeatedly find large areas of space between Nigeria’s midfield and defence.
This allowed their talented forward players such as Franculino Dju and Mama Balde to stretch their legs and run directly at Nigeria’s defenders, and despite the tireless efforts of the likes of Calvin Bassey, the Super Eagles were unable to prevent the opposition from finding the net.
Nigeria make Group L harder for themselves
Nigeria were the outright favourites to dominate Group L and comfortably finish top to secure their place at AFCON, but a defeat on matchday two, as well as a far-from-convincing win against Madagascar, means they have given themselves a much harder task.
Nigeria now trail leaders Guinea-Bissau by three points, while they are only two points above third and fourth place, meaning the Super Eagles must avoid another slip if they are to ensure they finish in the top two, while a perfect finish to the group may be required to overtake Guinea-Bissau and claim first place.
How can Chelle respond to defeat
The 3-0 loss against Guinea-Bissau also marked Chelle’s first loss in regulation time since becoming Nigeria manager, and the question will now be how the boss can respond to defeat.
The defeat is a major setback in the battle to qualify for AFCON and may spark hurtful memories of failing to qualify for the most recent World Cup, leaving Chelle with a big task to oversee an immediate recovery and ensure Nigeria avoid another disappointment during qualifiers.
