Criticising the current team, Nigeria legend Segun Odegbami insisted that only Ola Aina and William Troost-Ekong possess the quality to play for the Super Eagles.
Both players were out of action during the last four games under coach Finidi George, where Nigeria, inadequate defense conceded six goals, one of the losses to the Benin Republic endangering the qualification for the 2026 World Cups.
Otherwise, Finidi George had no choice but to rely on the relatively inexperienced Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, and Benjamin Tanimu to add some steel to the defense, but as far as Odegbami is concerned, none of these counterparts possess the mastery that the Super Eagles need.
Segun Odegbami’s Take
At the full-back positions, only Ola Aina has shown consistency and exceptional brilliance down the right side of the field over several years,” Segun Odegbami noted this via his Vanguard Column.
“The left side has been the opposite, porous and so weak sometimes that Aina has had to be moved to the left side to cover up for this weakness on occasions.
The defensive frailties of the team was manifested in those four games with none of them recording any shutouts unlike the 2023 AFCON where the Skipper played a pivotal role in Nigeria recording 4 shutouts in 7 games that earned him the Best Player of the Tournament.
Midfield and Future Improvements
Odegbami also expressed dissatisfaction with the current midfield ensemble such as Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi as they do not meet the tests of other legends in the Nigeria midfield arena such as Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, and Kanu Nwankwo.
He then pointed out that as good as Iwobi and Ndidi are, they are pale shadows of their near legendary predecessors who made up the nucleus of Nigeria’s formidable sides.
In an effort to rectify these areas, Odegbami has advocated for the inclusion of other fresh and competent players in the Super Eagles team. To rectify this, he pointed out that there is need for improvement of full backs and the consistency of central defenders and that a midfield should be revised to be make [the] team better off on the international level
