NewStats: 3,265,417 , 8,186,682 topics. Date: Saturday, 14 June 2025 at 08:52 PM 6b6d25

We need another midfielder. We also need a 2nd goals. Zaidu not doing enough on his wing.

Outside of the first save by Nwabili, we’ve kept Angola at bay. But our attack needs to be sharper. ing in the final third has been poor

Angola is a must win for us on Friday. No more, no less. This is the real business end now. Every game moving forward is a final of increasing importance.

Tinneh:

His insistence on 4-4-2 was the problem, we just didn't have the right personnel to effect that formation, see how the team is performing now that he's flexible with his tactics

GBAM! Our issue with JP was his insistence on the 442 even when the results were poor. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. This was the issue

Many on Nairaland have advocated to moving to a back 3 to shore up the defense and employ the WB talent we are blessed with properly.

Again. Defense wins Championships. Great work from the boys, especially with no shots on target.

We will need this kind of defensive steel because Angola dey tear shot and Uzoho na better basket.

I’d say for next match, move Bassey to LB and then maybe, maybe, bring in another midfielder for Simon.

Iwobi should be playing closer to Lookman and Osimhen

Someone called it, Bassey to LB. Zaidu is good defensively but offers nothing going forward.

Amazing cross by Bassey

Lookman gats shoot that thing one time. Clear goal scoring opportunity to kill the game.

Take off Simon and bring in Yusuf or Onyedika. Need more midfield control.

Take out Zaidu abeg. Switch Simon for Yusuf. Let Iwobi play closer to Osimhen.

Good half so far. Tournament football is about being defensively solid. People dey forget say plenty AFCONs na binary footballing affair.

Watching the highlights of all our matches and to be honest, we just need to get our finishing in order and we are good.

Osimhen missed a clear 1v1 against Eq G, missed another 1v1 against CIV and missed 2 clear headers against Guniea B.

He buries those chances and its:

2-1 win to Eq G
2-0 win to CIV
3-0 win over Guniea B

Our team is creating enough chances to win the game, we just need to be clinical. 1-0 is all you need to advance in the KO rounds and to win an AFCON.

Defense wins championships at the end of the day. But our attack needs to give us something to defend to begin with.

Aribo and Simon need to be phased out. JP’s insistence on such a thin midfield will be our undoing. Should be at least 3 more MFs on our bench with one that has proper ball playing abilities.

Midfield has no ing patterns.

I would have brought in Onyedika for more midfield solidity. Need to manage this game and see it out.

Chuks has missed playing Lookman in for a 1v1 on two occasions. We should have created 3 gilt edge chances this game. Bury 2 and you’re fine.

Nwabili is our new No. 1 as far as I’m concerned.

Regardless of the outcome of this AFCON, SE needs to recruit for

1. Another CAM that is good at set pieces
2. A solid GK
3. Two young, solid ball playing CBs

This team has the personnel to perennially challenge for AFCON. Just need the proper coach.

CIV is not really playing anything tbh. Osimhen missed a big chance and Chuks just overhit a to put Lookman in 1v1.

Winning matches doesn’t need 100% dominance throughout the game, you just need those few moments of brilliance and to take your chances.

Lookman has done well so far this AFCON. Really stepped up this tourney.

We really should have won the first game and be leading in this one.

This AFCON has goals sha. Last AFCON the group stage was serious binary football.

minfelix:
Moffi or Boniface go bury some of those one on one wey osimhen throway sha

Maybe Moffi but Boniface I no sure. His finishing is worse than Osimhen’s

foxman04:

Agbado analysis .. how will you explain that plain one on one miss. Shot sef wasnt on target

All strikers miss chances. Even the most clinical ones. It’s what happens after he misses the chance that is more important.

foxman04:
Have been following this thread lowkey for 4yrs plus, this is my first time commenting here, osihmen is bang average, take it or leave.

After all these yrs of profession dude still get caught offside, not once not twicw

Idk about bang average. A bang average striker does not win Golden boot in Serie A. Just doesn’t happen.

I’m 100% with you on the offside thing, however. I think he needs better coaching to coach the habit out of him.

We Nigerians are funny people sha. We have people shouting against Kelechi’s inclusion but:

1. won’t offer an alternative ball playing midfielder
2. don’t realize that our MF is thin already
3. forget that we have up to 27 that could have been called upon. Kelechi could have just been there in case of incasity.

Bringing him to the team isn’t a net negative. At worst, he doesn’t play at best, he does well.

There’s only upside in calling him up.

Curtisaxel10:


But some people here will fight tooth and nail against the invitation of someone like Nwakali because he plays in the Spanish second division despite the fact that we are in desperate need of creative midfielders.

It makes so sense to me at all. Having a good team is about having the right profile of players across all positions. Is it not Fofana and Kessie that are playing in lower league Saudi but doing well for CIV?

Tournament football is not like league football. Only 7 games to win AFCON.

MetalJigsaw:
Iwobi??

Yes, Iwobi created two very good chances. He was one of our better players, 100%

Until the tourney finish, I’ll save my assessment. Argentina still won the WC after losing their first match to KSA.

We just need to grow well in this tourney.

Curtisaxel10:


I was shocked when the commentator said the biggest player on the Equatorial Guinea team plays for Las Palmas. The rest of them play in second and third division teams.

Their forward Nsue who terrorized our defence plays in the Spanish THIRD division as a RB.

My whole body just weak.

But Equatorial G. has had the same first XI for the same 3 years. Team chemistry will always trump having a spattering of “top names”.

At the end of the day, they are still professional players. The gap in pure ability from say Prem vs 2nd division in Spain isn’t as big as some people think.

Blueelf:


See one of them here gustav



Dude is about to drown in his own tears

Tears ke? My own is this: you don’t rate the SE and forsee a group stage exit. If that’s the case, why not leave the thread since you have nothing else to say.

You’ve said your peace on the SE. You’re not saying anything different.

With our shooting boots this is a comfortable 4/5 - 1 in our favour. The hope is we grow into the tournament.

Blueelf:


My guy, my guy

I have been holding the fort for you Sire

They think they are them



I predicted this exactly.

Some cretins with milk for brains thought i was being negative

Name names or STFU! You are not adding anything, come back next month.

1-1 is a disappointing result, we had a enough chances for this to be 3-1, 4-1. The bigger worry is the injury to Yusuf. He looks key for us moving forward.

There are still 6 pts to play for so getting out of the group isn’t too much of a worry for me…

Odunayaw:
I fit curse this commentator mentioning we look into the NPFL to solve the creative MF

Is he lying though? If we can’t find the profile of creative midfielder abroad, why not look domestically.

Yusuf injured already….JP really going to regret going with such a thin midfield and not using the full 27 players.

Even with 23 players, not all will play in a major tournament, but you go with the extras just in case of incasity. AFCON playing conditions are hot, humid and harsh, having extra players always helps…

Odogwujayy:
Imagine we're just having only 2 remaining midfielders asides the one in starting 11

I would really say its only one. Aribo isn’t a MF imo. More of a false 9. The fact we didn’t call up the likes of Bashiru or Kelechi to buttress the midfield is criminal.