Despite being drawn in the difficult World Cup qualifier group, the Super Eagles of Nigeria qualified comfortably with a game to spare in October 2017. For a team that failed to qualify for the last two AFCON, it was a massive achievement under new coach Gernot Rohr. Since qualification the Nigerian team has been making its preparation for their sixth appearance at the Mundial.
The preparation for the World Cup began last November with an exceptional second half display in an international friendly match against Argentina. The Super Eagles went into the break a goal down but returned in the second half to score three goals to win the game 4-2. Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho were the stars that shone on the night. The outcome of that match inspired citizens of the country that their beloved team can take on the very best at the finals. Expectation were high ahead of the World Cup draws in December 2017. Nigeria was drawn in a unique group (Group D) against perennial World Cup rivals Argentina and two European teams – Croatia and Iceland. All four teams are capable of progressing to the next round.
FIFA International window reopened in March 2018 and Nigeria played two friendly games against Poland and Serbia to test itself against some of the participating countries at the World Cup. Nigeria beat Poland by a lone goal but lost to Serbia four days later. Neither games were a true assessment of the team’s quality but it raised some concerns. The Super Eagles struggled to create goal scoring opportunities and couldn’t dictate the tempo of the game in midfield. The team played three more friendlies at the end of the European football season with matches against DR Congo, England and Czech Republic drawing the first and losing the last two. The same problem witnessed in March reared its head again. The head coach did confirm that his team needs to improve before their opening game on 16 June against Croatia.
For the first time in since Nigeria has been participating at the FIFA World Cup, the current leadership of the Football Federation did something remarkable by agreeing financial rewards and bonuses for the team ahead of the competition. Incidents on the eve of Nigeria’s second round matches against Denmark game at the 1998 World Cup and France at the 2014 World Cup proved that the current board had learnt a thing or two from the past. All logistics and preparation for this World Cup participation has been very good if not excellent. The Super Eagles jersey is arguably the best designed and broke sales record when Nike launched its sale. The head coach contract has been extended beyond the World Cup which means he can work better with a clear vision for the competition and after. With all of this in place, we take a look at the squad’s quality.
In goal, the Super Eagles have three goalkeepers; Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi and Francis Uzoho. Uzoho appears to be the coach’s preferred choice as his number one. The Deportivo La Coruna man has started the last five matches for the Super Eagles but made only two first team appearance for his club during the 2017/18 season.
In defense, the Super Eagles have eight defenders; William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Bryan Idowu, Chidozie Awaziem, Abdullahi Shehu, Elderson Echiejile and Tyronne Ebuehi. The preferred Centre back partnership is Ekong and Balogun while the fullback roles are up for grabs between Shehu and Echiejile who played during the qualifiers while Idowu and Ebuehi, the new lads have brought a different dimension to the team in terms of their attacking runs down the flanks. It remains to be seen who Rohr will decide to start with.
The midfield has Mikel Obi, Ogenyi Onazi, John Ogu, Wilfred Ndidi Oghenekaro Etebo and Joel Obi. Nigeria has played a variety of system in the past year or so but the coach appears to favor a 4-3-3 system which means he would have three midfielders on the pitch. An undisputed starter is skipper Mikel Obi. The former Chelsea man who now plies his trade in China looks like he is past his prime but the team doesn’t have a suitable replacement in quality so he will play. Wilfred Ndidi should be Nigeria’s secret weapon in the midfield. Just like in the Premier League with Leicester City, Ndidi may not stand out from the XI but he’s a disruptive force. The 21 years old has the ability to become an African legend of the World Cup. With two of the three available slots taken, the final one is up for grabs depending on the coach’s strategy for each game.
The Super Eagles attack will be led by Odion Ighalo. His supporting cast include Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Simeon Nwankwo. Moses and Iwobi look to be the first choice support to lone striker Ighalo in recent outings against England and Czech Republic. These two can lead Nigeria’s counterattack which should cause problems to any team.
On paper this team looks quite strong but recent performances suggest otherwise. The team lacks tournament experience which is crucial at global competition of this level. They have been slow starters in all their warm up matches, the team tends to play better in the second half when tactical changes and team talk have taken place but the World Cup is an unforgiving competition. A strong start might be what is required in a delicate group like the Super Eagles. Furthermore, teams who have won the last few editions have had to dig deep and use the qualities they have on the bench in the event of injuries, suspensions, etc to key players. Are the back up players good enough?
The expectation in the soccer loving West African nation is for this team to progress beyond the Round of 16 which has been the best Nigeria has achieved at the FIFA World Cup. To do that, they will need to qualify from the group before looking further. Croatia v Nigeria is a pivotal game for the Super Eagles.
Nigeria begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Saturday 16 June 2018 at Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad. Their second game is against Iceland on Friday 22 June 2018 at Volgograd Arena, Volgograd. Their final game against Argentina is Tuesday 26 June 2018 at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg.
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