A young Nigerian team became the first country to qualify for the World Cup from the African confederation, built on strong internal cohesion, a vibrant team spirit, and great athleticism.
Compared to previous versions, this is a very different Super Eagles team. The universal attention to nutrition and conditioning will mean that this is a world cup in which the gaps between teams will come from mentality and superior technique. Nigeria's athleticism will be a very important factor if well harnessed.
Going into the world cup, my main concerns for this team lie in the stagnation of key players. Mikel Obi is in China, Ogenyi Onazi is in Turkey, Kelechi Iheanacho is struggling to rekindle his young career at Leicester, and Alex Iwobi is caught up in the stasis at Arsenal.
Tactically, not many of the players have grown in the last season, but at the same time, it would be a mistake to reach hard conclusions about Nigerian players in the national team, solely on the basis of club performance, as a different dynamic obtains at this level, as we saw years ago with Samson Siasia, then at Nantes.
Given this background, it is understandable the approach adopted by Gernot Rohr, and no game captures this as best as the decisive game against Zambia in Uyo. This version of the Nigeria Super Eagles is being built to learn to 'suffer', be comfortable in it, and then take its opportunities. There is thus certainty in the way the team wants to play, where a team like Argentina, is still looking...
Tactically, there are two major areas of concern:
First is the ability to keep possession higher upfield, without an over reliance on the individual qualities of Mikel Obi in an advanced role. Individually, the players have the technical quality, but as a team, this is lacking, and I think, more as a consequence of coaching decisions. In Russia, I expect teams will look first to take away the option that Mikel presents for keeping possession high upfield.
In the mundiale, it is hard to see Nigeria effectively control a game from a defensive position, while simply booting the ball upfield as they did against Poland.
The second concern is the organization of the team behind the line of press. This is the first manager to harness the natural athleticism of Nigerian players in a high pressing game, without the need to commit multiple players or to significantly advance the defensive line. Of course this is not the first time Nigeria has used a pressing system (the late Keshi's team did in some games), but none of Nigeria's previous managers had players with the qualities of this team, especially Ndidi in central midfield.
The problem here is that without increasing the share of possession in the game, the team is often playing in one tempo, and as was the case in the second half in Worclaw, gaps will begin to appear in midfield as players start to tire, and the opponent plays faster through midfield as the Poles did in the second half last night.
In Russia, tactically, I expect Nigeria's approach to face its stiffest examination against Croatia, largely because of the different characteristics of the Croats, and their ability to suddenly transition to attack even from deep. But watching the performance last night, Nigeria can overcome in what will similarly be a 'trench warfare' in central midfield vs Croatia, but it must find greater options in attack for the out ball, and better organization on the break.
The return of Joel Obi is especially wellcome. He brings additional technical quality to central midfield that is lacking with Onazi, even while recognizing the latter's combative qualities. It remains to be seen whether he can be fully integrated into the team, and especially whether he can stay fit.
Sadly for the team, the wide player Henry Onyekuru has had a difficult season with injuries and has been unavailable for integration into the side. His qualities on the left would have complimented Moses on the right, especially with the indifferent season of Moses Simon and Alex Iwobi. This in turn means increased pressure on the left side of the defence.
Overall, the various elements of how the team play, or the composition of the squad are well in place, and only a few questions remain. This will be an interesting mundiale....
How far can this team go?
Hard to say at this point, but it has a good chance to get out of the group. The team lacks exceptional individuals, like Argentina or top professionals, like Croatia, but it has its own qualities from a youthful and vibrant side. It also has a manager who is well aware of the team's capabilities, and who will play within this, regardless....
