The Evolution of Nigerian Wingers

 

In a recent interview, current Nigeria Interim Coach and NFF Technical Director Austin Eguavoen spoke about a Nigerian football philosophy and the integral role of wingers in this.

Against Egypt in Nigeria's opening game of the African Nations Cup (AFCON), as if to reprise this, the Super Eagles played with great emphasis on attacking wide spaces through Moses Simon and Samu Chukwueze.

Traditionally, Nigeria has always been blessed with pacy wingers. The roles of the wingers have typically been based on using their athleticism, speed and dribbling ability in going down the flanks and delivering crosses for the central strikers.

Seventies and Eighties

In the 1970s and 80s, this was typified by the performance of such players and Kunle Awesu, Ogidi Ibeabuchi, Baba Otu Mohammed. These players defined the role by their speed and dribbling, and the ability to deliver crosses.

In the 1980s, Nigerian wing play was largely defined by the performance of Segun Odegbami and Adokiye Amesimaka. But unlike the prior generation, in addition to the qualities of speed, dribbling and crossing, these wingers added the role of scoring, by cutting from wide to shoot on goal. While the likes of Awesu and Ogidi did score goals, but not at the level of the likes of Odegbami, Willie Nzeakor, Tarila Okoronwata, Friday Elaho, Ndubuisi Okosieme, etc.

In both generations, their positioning was typically high upfield, with cross field balls delivered into space for them to utilize their speed and athleticism to get past the lateral defenders.

Westerhof -Finidi Transition

But by far the most significant evolution of Nigerian wingers (and wing play) would occur with the arrival of Dutchman Clemens Westerhof and his conversion of George Finidi, a right-sided central midfielder with Calabar Rovers to a wide midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation. 

In this redefined role, his game would begin from midfield and would also involve defensive responsibilities in support of the central midfielders and the fullbacks.

Within this same period, the Nigerian winger would be further redefined by conversion to central striking roles, sometimes as a support striker or lone striker. This new role was perhaps best exemplified by the success of Victor Ikpeba as a striker with FC Monaco, in what was easily the high point of his career. Similar to him was Amunike's role, first in Portugal and then at Barcelona, although constrained severely by injury, as well as Christopher Ohenhen who would excel in this role with SD Compostela in Spain.

Wide Forward

In recent times, the role of the Nigeria winger would further evolve to wide forward, running diagonally from wide to support the central striker or as part of a dynamic trio of strikers, from both the left and right wings. This largely began with the likes of Tijanni Babangida, Pius Ikedia, Victor Moses, and is currently seen in the roles of the aforementioned Simon, Chukwueze, Ahmed Musa, etc.

In more recent years, this evolution would involve their use in inverted roles, to allow them cut in from wide and arrive in the last third on their stronger foot, with the right footed Simon on the left and the left footed Chukwueze on the right.

Further Transition

Against Egypt, Nigeria deployed Simon in a predominantly wide position on the right, with a seeming throwback to the 70s and 80s in the manner in which he used his speed, athleticism and dribbling to repeatedly overpower the hapless Al Ahly defender Akram Tawfik and later Mohamed Abdelmonem.

This approach to use of wide players is replicated in many domestic teams and in the youth national teams, with the dominant play relying on the dribble to overcome in 1v1 situations out wide.

While Simon is a good player as underlined by his performances at Nantes, his performance against Egypt was as much testimony to his abilities as it was the weakness of the Egyptian defenders, who never got their spacing right or provided enough support to deny him space. 

In any case, despite his overall influence on the game in the first half, the performance often lacked quality end product, and by the latter part of the second half, had become quite predictable. And if he and Chukwueze have to be played as traditional wingers, perhaps there's no need to invert their positions so that they cross with their stronger foot.

As teams increasingly deploy low block defensive systems and space becomes a premium, there is a need for Nigerian wing play to further evolve and rely less on overcoming 1v1 situations with the dribble, to a more nuanced approach. An approach that relies on first creating space and then positioning the likes of Simon to accelerate in open play, either on the flanks or centrally (Tijani Babangida vs South Africa).

Let there be no misunderstanding. In the modern game with limited space, the value of players who can run at a defence cannot be overstated. 

But the key is in finding space; in being able to position such players within the time and space for them to constantly break defensive lines (central or wide) and unbalance defenders squeezing the lines between zones, without frequent loss of possession as we see for instance with Dembele at Barcelona.

For the current Super Eagles, this would require greater patience and more control in central midfield and Nigeria has enough quality in Joe Aribo and Wilf Ndidi to do this. It would also require the use of Kelechi and the fullbacks to create triangles, high and wide, before the delivery into space for a late run behind the fullbacks.