Allnigeriasoccer.com takes an in-depth look at how the Super Eagles should lineup in their crucial 2022 World Cup playoff against Ghana at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Friday evening.
With Wilfred Ndidi and goalkeeper Maduka Okoye not available for selection on health grounds, Nigeria's interim boss Augustine Eguavoen has at least two key decisions to make terms of playing personnel.
Here's how the Super Eagles should lineup in a 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Francis Uzoho is the best out of all invited keepers. No need to experiment in an important match such as this.
Central defence : Certainly William Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun have been Nigeria's best pairing in central defence for awhile now. My verdict is don't change it. Balogun really knows how to cover for Troost-Ekong' inadequacies.
Central defence : Certainly William Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun have been Nigeria's best pairing in central defence for awhile now. My verdict is don't change it. Balogun really knows how to cover for Troost-Ekong' inadequacies.
Fullbacks : This two Zaidu Sanusi and Ola Aina didn't perform badly at the last African Cup of Nations so retain them there.
My only criticism of them was that they didn't really help out in the attacking phase. Whether this was a coaching decision I don't know. I prefer them to play more of the role of a wing-back.
This means they get to play a significant part during our attacking phase. For example Liverpool just last weekend struggled to score against Nottingham forest and their left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas played a key role in the win by providing the game-winning assist.
Central Midfield: Right from the time of Gernot Rohr, this has been the team's main problem area. I mean attacking wise. Put it simply no one to connect the midfield to the attack.
Central Midfield: Right from the time of Gernot Rohr, this has been the team's main problem area. I mean attacking wise. Put it simply no one to connect the midfield to the attack.
That link has remained broken for a while now. Even in the last AFCON it was evident again.In the defensive phase of our midfield we have been blessed with the super reliable Ndidi who will be absent through injury.
I would go with Oghenekaro Etebo and Semi Ajayi with Joe Aribo playing the most advanced role of the three in midfield.
Etebo because he has been with the national team for long and has played high profile matches such as this.Only concern will be his fitness level.
Ajayi though a central defender by trade has played the role for Nigeria before and would add defensive stability a bit for us.
Aribo I would put close to the attacking trio.This is because he can score, provide assist and receive the ball in between the lines thereby linking our midfield with attack.
Truth be told, the Kelechi Iheanacho experiment didn't work out well in AFCON 2021.
Strikers : Finally to the crust of the matter, our attacking trio. Victor Oshimen is back and that excites all football loving Nigerians. We go a notch higher with him in the team.
Let's hope Samuel Chukwueze who has some chemistry with him will come to live. Moses Simon on the other hand we are hoping gets the needed support from our midfield and left back to shine.
Over to the coaches to make their own choice.The coaches I must say don't have the liberty of time to put a very good system of play in place.
Over to the coaches to make their own choice.The coaches I must say don't have the liberty of time to put a very good system of play in place.
Their best bet is to put the 11 on the field and hope they use their ingenuity and skills to engineer a win for all Nigerians while following their own instructions too.
Nigeria lineup (4-3-3) : Uzoho; Aina, Troost-Ekong, Balogun, Sanusi; Etebo, Ajayi, Aribo, Chukwueze, Osimhen, Simon
Kekere Nkop
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