Former Nigerian head coach Bonfrère Jo has raised concerns over the Super Eagles’ tactical approach and their lack of clinical finishing in front of goal.
In the recent World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, Nigeria’s new manager, Eric Chelle, opted for a 4-4-2 formation. In this setup, Wilfred Ndidi was the only player to retain his usual role, while Alex Iwobi was tasked with defensive duties. Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon were deployed as wide midfielders.
Despite the tactical adjustments, the Super Eagles struggled to create significant chances and convert goals.
Bonfrère Jo shared his thoughts on the team’s performance following the 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe, questioning what went wrong. In an interview with Complete Sports, he said, “I didn’t watch the game, but did the coach not have enough information on Zimbabwe? Was the wrong tactic used, or did the players fail to execute the game plan? Was there a loss of concentration? Why couldn’t the attackers score more goals? Had they converted just two or three chances, Zimbabwe’s late goal wouldn’t have mattered as much.”
He continued, “It’s sad, painful, and unfortunate. Smaller teams are now staring the Super Eagles down and asking, ‘What can you do?’ No team fears them anymore, and that’s concerning.”
The draw left Nigeria in fourth place in Group C with seven points. South Africa leads the group with 13 points, followed by Rwanda and Benin, both on 8 points.
