On November 13, 2020 on Match Day 3 of the Africa Nations Cup qualifiers, Nigeria raced to a four goal lead against Sierra Leone in under thirty minutes. The match would end in a 4-4 draw, with the Super Eagles barely hanging on...
The match would have a profound effect on the thinking of erstwhile manager Gernot Rohr, who would begin a long process of trying to evolve the team around a less expansive approach, including the eventual return/transition(?) to a 4-4-2, with Kelechi Iheanacho in the role behind Victor Osimhen, and the combination of Wilfred Ndidi and Joe Aribo in central midfield.
With Wilfred Ndidi and Joe Aribo established as the pairing in central midfield (as further confirmed at AFCON), the tactical questions around the team have revolved around:
- First the role of Kelechi Iheanacho, ahead of the central midfield duo and behind Victor Osimhen; and
- Second, the potential for a further evolution of the team to a 4-3-3, especially with the emergence of the talented FC Midtjylland midfielder, Raphael Onyedika, to possibly play on the right of an inverted triangle in central midfield.
However, given the immediate challenges facing the team, a world cup qualifier vs Ghana, the focus of my piece is naturally on the current squad, specifically the role of Kelechi in a 4-4-2, and the continuing lack of fluidity in the attacking design of play.
For most managers, including the most team-oriented managers, the focus of the attacking design of play is often how to get the best out of their most important players. And in the case of Nigeria, that is obviously Victor Osimhen.
In the final year of Gernot Rohr's tenure as coach of Nigeria, the lack of clarity in Kele's role, the tentativeness of the manager, coupled with the weaknesses of the player himself, combined to produce a team of mediocre attacking intent and anemic execution.
In the support striker role, since 2020, Iheanacho has scored four goals for Nigeria in 17 appearances. In the history of the Super Eagles, this is not a new role, having been executed to brilliant effect by Nwankwo Kanu, who brought a level of intelligence beyond the reach of the Leicester City man.
In the current game, this is a role most aptly defined by Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller, as the "Raumdeuter position", literally translated as a space investigator, which combines football intelligence, understanding/appreciation of space and the movement of players, as well as the selflessness to place one's technical skills in service of the team.
At his best, Kelechi brings a decisive finishing ability in the box. But he also brings average individual technique, a limited appreciation of space or understanding of movement, an inability to play between the lines or out wide. Too often in the final attacking phase, going back to his days at Man. City, is the familiar posture of a static Kele, hands spread wide besides him calling for the ball, rather than making the movement to open up play and advance the attacking game.
If Kelechi is to be a decisive player for Nigeria, we must accept the fact of what his game is about and place him squarely in the penalty area, as a sub for our main striker Osimhen, and use the place he vacates to strengthen the attacking game from midfield.
On paper Nigeria will start with a stronger squad than Ghana. Both countries possess distinctly dysfunctional federations, both of which are scrambling at the moment, with Nigeria only marginally better. I expect that Ghana will bolster the squad from AFCON, but a lot will depend on the ability of Otto Addo and George Boateng to quickly build relationships to bring all eligible players in the fold. An unenviable task to accomplish within the next five weeks...
With Ademola Lookman now eligible, I would seriously consider him for the role behind Osimhen, especially if the team does not transition to a 4-3-3.
Lookman's ability to play in small spaces, between the lines in the center, as well as from wide, bring a dynamism and tactical flexibility that Kelechi cannot offer the team.
