Did the young Nigeria squad hold their own against the Teranga Lions in the absence of their talismanic skipper?
When Gernot Rohr announced his Super Eagles squad for the friendly games against Senegal and Burkina Faso, there was a glaring omission that sent shockwaves through the nation.
Captain Mikel John Obi was left out of the squad, and considering the influential leader had been a vital cog hitherto under the German tactician, his absence had the potential to expose weaknesses in the Nigeria midfield.
The decision was questioned in many quarters, yet, following the midfielder’s move to Chinese side Tianjin Teda in January, the general consensus was that the call was made to allow him properly settle in the East Asian country.
Rohr elected to start the game with Onazi and Ndidi in the pivot, with the duo tasked with containing the physical Lions’ midfield. However, after an erratic half hour in which the Nigeria midfield failed to control proceedings, the former Burkina Faso coach might have wished he included Mikel in the squad, and who would have blamed him for thinking that?
The veteran is blessed with a plethora of abilities, not to mention his knack for creating time—for himself and his teammates— when in possession of the ball irrespective of the nature of opponents pressing.
Here were the Super Eagles struggling for fluency in midfield, incessantly being caught in possession, struggling to create chances and crying out for Mikel.
The pairing of Onazi and Ndidi—who has been in good form for resurgent Leicester City recently—was struggling against the physical Senegalese in the freezing cold conditions at the Hive Stadium, and it was clear that something had to change.
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