Lorient striker Terem Moffi has replaced Alex Iwobi in Nigeria’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying double-header against Central African Republic, reports Completesports.com.
Everton manager Rafa Benitez confirmed on Friday that Iwobi is nursing an injury and is a major doubt for Saturday’s (today) Premier League clash against Manchester United.
The Nigeria Football Federation has now responded by calling up Moffi as replacement for the winger.
Read Also: Premier League: Iwobi Doubtful For Everton Away Clash Vs Man United
It would be recalled that Leicester City midfielder Wlifred Ndidi and Watford’s Oghenekaro Etebo pulled out of the games due to injuries.
Moffi, who made his debut for the Super Eagles in a friendly against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in June has made two appearances for the West Africans.
The Super Eagles will host Central African Republic at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Thursday, October 7.
The reverse fixture is billed for Doula, Cameroon, on Sunday, October 10.
Gernot Rohr’s charges top Group C with six points from two games, while Liberia trail in the second spot with three points followed by Cape Verde and Central African Republic with a point each.
30 Comments
I wish Iwobi, Etebo & Ndidi quick recovery from injury.
This is the reason for having many professionals playing for Nigeria.
God bless Nigeria.
Having 3 top class players in each wing is not even enough but we still complain of too much players when we are lagging behind interms of playing staff……Top European countries have up to 50 top players tested at international level and battle ready to be called upon when the trumpet of war is blown…….But Nigeria that don’t have such are complaining of too much players and asking us who to bench……. People saying such are either ignorant of how international football is practiced or they just want to satisfy certain player in the first eleven by guaranting them a constant shirt in the national team……Which is bad for football.
Vincent Onovo is a natural midfielder. He should have been invited instead.
A “meed-feed” maestro, similar to the great Paul Onobi 🙂
A big loss for the three times African champions.
Iwobi is irreplaceable.His flair creativity is invaluable.We have no other player in that mould,he surely will be missed.His creativity was missing as we toiled hard for victory with less oil against Cape Verde.
Moffi is not a like for like replacement.Have we got any though?I doubt there’s anyone close to having what Iwobi brings to the team,we may end up playing a Moses Simon in his role on the right and a Samuel Kalu on the left.
Super eagles are expected on paper to own CAR in both legs,I’m confident we can but might not be as easy as should normally with the absence of three regular midfielders.
We have players that can get the job done.
Honestly I tire for this man he is begning to lose my respect for how can u replace s midfielder with a striker?when the midfield is already short of personnel is this how to build a team or does it mean we don’t have any other good midfielder in Europe? seriously we can’t continue like this cause it will boomerang someday,I read about a competitive against Ethopia in 1994 which we needed to win and quality for a major event westerhor gave oliseh his debut in d midst of established international not minding how important a win in that match is,oliseh turned out to be d best player of the day and Nigeria won 4-0, everyone should spare me the story of team bonding GR is becoming to rigidt to my liking honestly I suspect fowl play here but time will tell I rest my case,God bless Nigeria
6-0 not 4-0.
I suspect TURKEY PLAY, not FOWL PLAY.
But wait o. Is turkey part of the fowl family? Hmmm.
Honestly speaking, these happenings are a warning signs. We must continue to blend in, quality new players and not limit the strength of our SE team through unforseen circumstances, especially with the numerous uncertainties bedeviling today’s society. So inviting two new players even if to only train with the team to assess them, every time we have games, won’t be a bad idea. BETTER BE WISE AND PROACTIVE THAN BE REACTIVE TO CRY LATE. Anyway, ALEXANDER THE GREAT IWOBI N THE DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD WARLORD NDIDI WILL BE FINE. MY HEART BLEEDS FOR THE EBONY POWERHOUSE DRIVER, ETEBO. QUICK RECOVERY IS WHAT I WISH YOU ALL,IN JESUS CHRIST NAME N FOR HIS SAKE.AMEN.
@Chidi I get your sentiment,however,the task of building and moulding a team is not an easy one and most times quite technical.
Now,if you check through the list just released you will notice that Kelechi Iheanacho is named in the mid field section,meaning he will play there.In recent times Kelechi has been deployed more in the no.10 role for Nigeria and has done spectacularly well.While Kelechi has played through the mid section,Iwobi, has played from the wings.
Further to my thoughts above, you will also notice from the team list that only Osimhen and Onuachu has been named in the top 9 position, with the idea (though am not the coach) that Iheanacho could also be deployed if the need arises in the striker possition .So it goes without saying that where a mid-fielder is injured in the shade of Iwobi and you have a Kelechi who can play his possition conveniently, a striker will naturally be brought in to fill the void that would have been left since Kelechi will now start in place of Iwobi in the mid section.
We really need to appreciate these Coaches as their job is not 1+1 =2.The master plan of building a team goes beyond deploying an auto card for the building of a house.
So in nut-shell,even without Iwobi,the team is covered as Iheanacho will easily do his job and even more.I hope my thought is well understood.
@ Emmanuel, I am not in anyway, talking about the present situation regarding Rohr’s call up. I am actually speaking with regards to how we should go going forward. Sometimes in life, we always get warning signs to help us avoid disasters.
I guess its up to Aribo and kelechi to be the creative force in midfield. Since coach Rohr is clearly disinterested in whether the team plays with midfielders or not.
Perhaps he wants to waste the teams time once again by playing Musa in the creative midfield position like he did last time which was a total flop! Anyone can tell that such a tactic wont work anyone except the coach himself.
3 top midfielders are miss from the team due to injury and the best you can do is invite a striker that most likely will not feature for more than 5 mins when you could have used this opportunity to call up atleast one creative midfielder from among the many who are out there to atleast see what they offer.
I guess the two games may mostly likely end up with victories for the Super Eagles but I forsee a boring game with long passes from defence to attack all because the coach doesn’t know when to take advantage of opportunities and because of his penchant for wingers over midfielders. When he should have found a way to balance both.
Even this Bonke player is nothing special as well as Frank. They dont add anything special to the team so I wonder why the coach keeps inviting them. I just wonder
The pertinent question is?
Who is really out there that can really replace an Iwobi?
I mean seasoned. Someone we can trust with an important double header like the world cup qualifier.
The names that would arise would be an Ejaria,Olise ,Lookman,even Eze..
But as we all know; they are not “tented” with us. Atleast not yet.
So in this situation, the coach have to make do with what he has in hand. The viable option is Aribo.
He just have to push Aribo further the pitch and make him play the roaming role Iwobi play so excellently.
Ejuke could as well be an amazing option in the middle of the park. He could be our creative outlet. He got the flair and spark needed to open defences. He got goals in him as well.
Though Iwobi would be seriously missed; I feel the above duo mentioned,would be great cover not forgetting we got creativity in the wings in Simon and Kalu.
We have enough to put CAR to the sword.
But we have to look towards the future and find someone that can be a like for like replacement for Iwobi. Hopefully, one(or all) of Ejaria,Lookman,even Olise joins us and maybe an established Amoo and Marcus. They all would come in handy.
We still have some midfielders who play regularly each time their team is playing and they are brilliant and consistent. Players like Dele Bashiru of Reading and Obinna Nwobodo in Turkey can easily come to the team. Also, since the coach can invite a player from Sweden, why can’t he also stop by at Norway and pick Ifeanyi Matthew. These 3 players I mentioned are always in their team line up and they are all midfielders that can do well if given the opportunity
Since the coach can invite a player from Sweden. Bonke’s club play in the Champions league. If Ifeanyi Mathew club plays in the Champions league that would’ve been the shop window for him because the Uefa champions league is glamorous. Look at the club from Moldova Sheriff FC beating almighty Madrid in Madrid. Their players are now in the shop window for that result alone. Bonke is one of only two SuperEagles players playing in the champions league. The rest are playing mostly in the Europa league or Conference league which is good because they’re all growing. The coach realize that players who feature regularly in European continental competitions are the ones that are well equipped to withstand the pressure of international matches. That’s why Bonke is in the team and not Mathew or Nwobodo or Nwakali and what nots.
Akinkunmi Amoo in particular is seriously knocking on the SE door. In fact, he is about to break the door down and gain entrance with his recent scintillating performances. Hopefully, he will get his chance soon.
You didn’t mention the names of those ‘many ‘ out there? But I think you already also answered it by suggesting iheanacho who is capable of filling the role of a creative midfielder.
Who you be sef?
I am glad ejuke is part of the squad. The boy is a wizard
I wish Etebo, Ndidi and Iwobi a speedy recovery.
Nonetheless, I have said a lot about the coaching crew of the Super Eagles.
I am very worried and I am not satisfied with what the coaches are doing with our Super Eagles.
Should I fold my hands, turn my back to my country because we have a foreign coach that failed to win something in other African countries before coaching
a national team of Nigeria?
why NFF decided to settle for less over the five years of Oga Rohr and coach Agu?
He replaced a midfielder with a striker when we have so many abundant talents midfielders available to replace Iwobi? Is Nwakali not a Nigerian? Is Ejaria not a Nigerian? How about Nwobodo and other midfielders? Are they not good enough to play for Nigeria under Oga Rohr?
I don’t get it. Even, the goalkeeping department is the weakest link in the Super Eagles team.
Why are we like this that we can not be bold enough to react? Our reactions count now.
Now, he will start converting players from one position to another when we have players. Does that make anysense? Is that how you build a team?
This can only happen in Nigeria because of the level of corruption in the land is way too much.
Nwakali is the better option that will complement the Super Eagles efforts if the gaffer knows but Super Eagles is bigger than him and the other coaches in charge of the team.
Another option is Ejaria. Am not a coach but I can tell if something is not going well in the Super Eagles.
Nigerians are not happy about the coaching crew of the Super Eagles.
Go on Instagram and othe sport website if you are in doubt.
However, when was the last time Super Eagles played their A game?
Before you do your excuses, go on YouTube and watch Nigeria v Atletico madrid match then, you will understand that Oga Rohr and Oga Agu should be fired if they failed to impress and improve the Super Eagles at the next year Afcon in Cameroon.
Salisu Yusuf didn’t spend two months to put the Super Eagles B team together to face Atletico madrid that has Fernando Torres and other big stars. We enjoy watching good football from our SuperEagles team B.
Nwakali Brothers were part of that team and they did so well.
Yusuf Muhammed and Nwakali score two world class goals in that encounter and Nigerians even suggested that Nwakali should be included in the world cup team that took place in Russia.
Who was in charge of that team B? Salisu Yusuf.
If Salisu Yusuf could build a strong team in less than a month to face a team like Atlantico Madrid, no doubt Amunike, Egbo, Marnu Gerba, Enyeama and Ikeme will be a rock for Nigeria in less than two years.
Fellow Nigerians, we have to be patient a little bit more as I said yesterday or so. We already know where we are going to as we can see, confusion everywhere. How can a good coach replace a midfielder with a striker?
After the Afcon tournament in Cameroon, Nigerians will definitely decide. For now, we are watching. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Omo9ja, there are several viable solutions to Iwobi’s absence. Your suggestions to invite midfielders like Nwobodo or Nwakali is a possible solution. These are good players, and will get their chance, if they keep working hard.
However, there are other solutions. As someone mentioned, Ejuke will be a beast in the AM role. Kalu can also play there. And we have a lot of creativity coming from the wings, so Iwobi will be missed, but the guys we have available can deliver. Besides, Moffi is not a bad guy to have available. So, Rohr has chosen one out of all the possible solutions. Your job as an SE fan is not to argue and complain all the time about tactics or lack thereof and decisions made that you disagree with, but to SUPPORT THE TEAM.
Niboni motun wa jasibayi ooo Nigerians.
“However, there are other solutions. As someone mentioned, Ejuke will be a beast in the AM role. Kalu can also play there. And we have a lot of creativity coming from the wings, so Iwobi will be missed, but the guys we have available can deliver. Besides, Moffi is not a bad guy to have available. So, Rohr has chosen one out of all the possible solutions”.
Really???? Really? Really?
Is it possible to replace a pilot with a bus driver?
Does that sound good?
“Your job as an SE fan is not to argue and complain all the time about tactics or lack thereof and decisions made that you disagree with, but to SUPPORT THE TEAM”.
Oh really? Oh hooooooo, now I understand you much better.
Good or bad I have no choice but to follow the coach blindly. Is that what you mean?
No wonder Nigeria is 61 without having 24 hours of electricity. The level of insecurity pandemic is way beyond our imagination. The level of our education is the best in the world. Continue celebrating our oppressors.
Mba. It doesn’t work that way. I am serving our country not the coaches of the Super Eagles, their Followers and our oppressors.
I have a right to tell the gaffer and NFF to do something reasonable before it is too late.
With what am seeing if Oga Rohr stays, Nigeria will waste another Afcon and world cup tickets.
To prevent that from happening, NFF should warn their president Amaju and if he doesn’t listen to them, they should let the president go with the coaching crew of the Super Eagles.
They are just there milking from Nigeria.
They have no idea of what they are doing at all.
Oga pompei, you can keep supporting the gaffer, that is your choice but I put Nigeria ahead of Oga Rohr.
No time to waste time. Nigerians will decide where our team is heading to after the Afcon in Cameroon as I said above there.
Oga Rohr, coach Agu, Amaju and Oga Rohr fans should please enjoy themselves now.
Time is not waiting for anybody while Afcon tournament will soon come then we will decide then but for now, enjoy yourselves.
God bless Nigeria!!!
The reason why Nigeria is where she is today is bcs of people like u- wicked, good for nothing, backward thinking jealous and evil entities whom good things dy turn belle. If we had people like Rohr at the helm of affairs in nigeria, I bet you with my life nigeria would have been competing with 1st world countries (to make it clearer for you bcs of ur foolishness), advanced countries. I really pity those who have unfortunately found themselves in the same environment as u.
Very soon the completesports website will go black to prevent us from ranting and bashing the NFF, ROHR and the playas. We know who is dictating the tune oooo.
Lobatan! Omo9ja yari kanle. Ama se nkan oooo.
Is Rohr responsible for the fact that Nigeria in 2021 can’t boast of 24 hour electricity?
Omo9ja, you say we can’t replace pilot with bus driver, yet you have put wahala that Rohr is not responsible for on Rohr’s head.
Can Nwobodo or Nwakali play the AM role better than Ejuke or Kalu?
Even Iheanacho can play that role. Meanwhile, Aribo is another very capable option. So as things stand, Rohr has good options for the AM role. His decision to invite Moffi makes sense, because it is one of the forwards that will likely be deployed to play the AM role. Or Rohr may switch to a system that allows us to be creative without the presence of an AM. So he needs a back up striker.
Why are you so adamant in your hatred of Rohr? Is it not better for us to qualify and “waste” our participation in a tournament, that for us to FAIL TO QUALIFY? When your Guardiolas where at the helm, and we failed to qualify for 2 AFCONS back to back, something unheard of in our football history, were you happy with that scenario? Maybe you prefer that, since we can’t “waste” a competition we didn’t qualify for! Looool!
My man, open your eyes. This Rohr you want to use to prepare suya has QUALIFIED US FOR ONE WORLD CUP AND 2 AFCONS WITH GAMES TO SPARE, AND IS ABOUT TO SEND US INTO THE FINAL ROUND OF WORLD CUP QUALIFYING WITH GAMES TO SPARE.
If we beat CAR in the next 2 games, the result of our last 2 games will not matter. Then we can afford to fulfill the fantasies of Pinnick and Wazza Dazzler, and have them kit up and play the matches with other pot-bellied officials, BECAUSE THE RESULTS DO NOT MATTER. THEY ARE DEAD RUBBER GAMES. Does that not mean anything to you, Omo9ja?
If you own a fishing company, and one of your employees catches buckets of tilapia, but you prefer catfish, will you sack him? Is tilapia not better than NOTHING?
Rohr has not won a cup yet, but he has met almost, if not every other target he was given! If Nigeria has problems, Rohr is not the cause or our problems. Allow this man to do his work. He will deliver if he has our full support. And when I say deliver, I’m referring to the Afcon trophy and a solid outing at the 2022 world cup. You can take that to the bank.
So Omo9ja, to answer your question – CAN WE REPLACE A PILOT WITH A BUS DRIVER?
Well, if the bus driver can fly a plane, the answer is yes!
The answer is yes Without having a certificate ba? There is no hope then. So, why are you people complaining about Yobo then?
“Well, if the bus driver can fly a plane, the answer is yes”!
Hmmm. Am speechless. Nigerians, are you watching?
Which way out? The time will tell. pompei, I hail you ooo lolz. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Hehehehe, Omo9ja, do you need certificate to play as an attacking midfielder? Lool, Omo9ja you are indeed funny!
Wetin concern agbero with overload? Your Yobo analogy is comparing apples to oranges.
Omo9ja go soon open football academy, where AMs will receive certificate after training. Loooool!
Omo9ja and pompei you people should not
kill me with laughter ho kilode gan!!!