Former Nigerian international Dimeji Lawal has called for the inclusion of a few fresh players to the Flying Eagles than just overhauling the squad.
He made this known after the team defeated hosts Egypt via penalties to win the bronze medal at the just concluded 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.
Speaking with Completesports.com, Lawal stated that the coaching crew can introduce a few players to the existing players to fortify the squad ahead of the 2025 U-20 World Cup, slated later this year.
Read Also: 2025 U-20 AFCON: Bameyi Named In Team Of The Tournament
“It will be unfair to demand a total overhauling of the Flying Eagles. It is like condemning all their efforts after winning a bronze at the tournament.
“I can only advocate for the inclusion of a few fresh players to the team that can make the Flyting Eagles stronger ahead of the U-20 World Cup.
“You can’t really say that the whole team failed to perform well. What the players need is encouragement and not a total overhaul of the team.”
14 Comments
Mr Lawal are you among the technical crew of this team? Allow the coach who oversee the team during the tournament to correct the loopholes he detected or observed while handling the lads. We the fans of the team don’t ever or even ready to witness this under performance output anymore. Let to no citizen of Naija experience High BP during the World cup.
This team lacks a CM who can carry the ball to the opponent half and give incisive pass,so we need one there,also we need a capable back to the goalkeeper too,then in the defence we need at least 2 players to beef up the already existing one in case of injuries or caution cards
The competition in Chile is for players born on or after January 1,2005. The team needs players like Hafiz Ibrahim (Reims France),Vince Osuji(Club Brugge, Belgium), Benjamin Fredrick (Brentford, England), Daniel Daga (Molde FK, Norway) ,Victor Orakpo (OGC Nice,France),Adeshina Ayodele (Lille OSC,France), Izuogu Chibueze (CSF Spartanii ) ,James Arinze,Musiliu Odekunle and Anthony Nnorom (all Playing for FC Midtjylland, Denmark)and many more. These players were not released for the U20 AFCON in Egypt because it was not a competition recognized by FIFA. The Coach Aliyu Zubairu-tutored side created a lot of goal chances but could not convert them in the final third. Defensively the team led by example conceeding only 3 goals in 6 matches all thanks to the likes of captain fantastic, Daniel Bameyi, left back ,Odinala Okoro and Emmanuel Chukwu of TSG Hoffenheim, Germany. Divine Oliseh was also impressive in the middle of the pack but Daniel Daga s return and possibly the inclusion of Victor Eletu(AC Milan, Italy),who is still age-eligible, Ibrahim Akintunde Alani (Real Valladolid B Spain) and Ekemini Ime of Arhus , Denmark will help fortify the midfield. Christian Nwachukwu (Sheffield United, England and Brazil-based Shola Ogundana are capable of supplying the killer crossers from the wings for Hafiz Ibrahim, Adeshina Ayodele and Victor Orakpo to shoot down any opponents defense in Chile.
The team definitely needs fresh legs for the World Cup.
The standout for me is Ayuma, the no.10. He’s class. Hope he goes on to achieve great things.
Very true. Ayuma certainly is a player to watch. His vision, passing range, attacking initiatives from the deep, ball holding abilities, anticipation to cut off opposition moves in the middle, ability to pick long range shots, and some potential with set pieces marks him out as a future deep lying playmaker. Hopefully, he has good agents that will guide him to good clubs that will support his development to fully achieve the potentials that he has so well demonstrated in this tournament.
The greatest undoing of the Flying Eagles at the just concluded U20 AFCON in Egypt was lack of goals scoring.The duo of Kparobo Arierhi (Lillessrom SK, Norway) and Precious Benjamin (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany) did their best in Egypt but we need more lethal and devastating finishers like Hafiz Ibrahim,(Stade Reims France), Adeshina Ayodele,(Lille OSC, France), Victor Orakpo (OGC Nice France) and Taiye Abdullateef Yusuf (Olympiacos, Greece) to go far at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile.. No team ever wins a competition without scoring goals. Also wingers Christian Nwachukwu (Sheffield United, England) and Shola Ogundana (CR Flamengo ,Brazil) can be drafted into the to provide the killer crosses from the flanks for the above named strikers.
How we ended up with such a talentless bunch is still a shock to me. Not like it is strange for our local coaches to always go to tournemnts with 13 good players and 10 chearleaders…..but that 90% of the players in the squad can be classed as below average is still something I struggle to wrap my head around.
So I wasn’t suprised they were a painful team to watch and ended up scoring only 2 well worked goals in the whole tournament.
However, in the likes of Harcourt, Chukwu, Bameyi and Aruma, I saw players who are ready to make any Super Eagles B team if there was one. The rest were at best “basic”…… zero x-factor players. Substitutions were usually of no meaningful change or impact all through the tournament….they were all same of same or even worse….a mockery of the quality of the last Nigerian U20 team to win the U20 afcon raised by Manu Garba.
This is what the coach needs to work on going into the world cup. 3 months is enough to completely overhaul this team. We are going to the world cup to play against players who are already playing first team football professionally. Seasons are running to a close in Europe now and the U20 WC is on fifa’s international calender.
It’s time to comb Europe and rebuild this team. The best Nigerian footballers are based in Europe….and the earlier we all make peace with that the better.
But I know the NFF too well…..they care more about how many girlfirends each board member will be allowed to tag along to Chile than how far the FE should be prepared to go in the tournament.
Don’t be surprised our aka gum accountant cum NFF president will open camping one month to the tournament and expect magicians to bring players from different leagues in the world to win the world cup as if other countries have the same foolish attitude like ours.
When emotions were still raw following this needless loss to South Africa in the Semis of the U-20 Afcon, I was among the chair leaders calling for a massive overhaul of this Flying Eagles team (I didn’t bother to watch the 3rd place playoff because I knew what to expect – flat football with no goals in open play only for the god of penalties to come to the rescue).
The problem, as I now see it, is not in the squad but it lies in the inadequacy of their routines. Yes, higher quality players produce eloquent routines but decent well coached average players have also been known to punch well above their weight in international football.
Coach Aliyu Zubairu should employ professionals to teach his boys how to connect with crosses. Timing of runs into dangerous areas was a major problem.
The team was claustrophobic upfront, always seeking to bulldoze their way past opposition defences: even a casual observer like myself knows it’s not done that way.
They struggled to create compelling pockets of space in which to do damage.
The passing routines were ponderous, pedestrian and ultimately harmless. They come across as average players poorly coached!
If these same boys, with injection of few fresh legs here and there and a competent back up goalkeeper, can be brought up-to-scratch with up-to-date movements, connections, runs, timings and all round play, then even “something good can come out of Nazareth”.
Whilst some fans complained that the team couldn’t score goals, what I saw was a team that couldn’t create credible scoring chances to begin with.
They defended well enough and controlled the midfield with sheer brute force. But goals win games and, if you can’t fashion out a way past your opponents’ rear, you have no business in the game.
Again, yes quality players produce quality outcomes. But quality players poorly coached is even a worse proposition than when average players and coached properly.
According to Napoleon Bonaparte, ” “If you build an army of 100 lions (quality players) and their leader is a dog (poorly coached), in any fight, the lions will die like a dog.
But if you build an army of 100 dogs (average players) and their leader is a lion (powerful coached with modern techniques) , all dogs will fight like a lion.”
@deo
While I understand your stance, one does not underestimate the value of quality. There are things that can’t be taught. And there are some students that can never learn no matter how good the teacher is. If you don’t have the natural physical shot power, you simply don’t have it. If you don’t have the vision or innate technicality or dribbling skills, you simply don’t have it.
Of course, there are exceptional situations, where the unexpected happens but most times, you can’t give what you don’t have no matter how hard you push. It’s just reality.
Sometimes quality players save a talentless coach.
I would rather we go get the best legs out there. Camp them. And begin preparation.
Why waste time with average players when you have quality lying around?
Considering the heroics of goalkeeper Ebenezer Ifeanyi Harcourt, defenders Daniel Bameyi , Emmanuel Chukwu ,Odinaka Okoro,the Flying Eagles were superb at the AFCON in Egypt. But that does not mean will not shore up our defense line for the World Cup in Chile. Vince Osuji,a precocious former top performer with Karma FF of Sweden now on the books of Club Brugge of Belgium readily comes to mind. Also, Benjamin Fredrick of Brentford FC of England,Chukwuebuka Enyiazu of FK Pardubice of Czech Republic can help tighten things up more at our central defence. Born 28 May 2005, Benjamin Chiemela Fredrick,is still age-eligible to feature for the Flying Eagles of Nigeria at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile later in the year. Like current Flying Eagles Captain, Daniel Bameyi, Fredrick was also at the last FiFA U20 World Cup in Argentina and both of them can form a formidable and impregnable central defence pair at the World Cup once more. The performance of Bameyi at the recently concluded U20 AFCON in Egypt shows that experience can make a whole lot of difference. At the World Cup the Flying Eagles will face very dangerous and marauding strikers from Brazil, Argentina,France etc . Remember the team conceeded 2 goals against lowly Kenya U20 team in Egypt.
I must really commend you for your usual extensive scouting information on Nigerian players in Europe.
I always imagine that if an individual can have this much info, how can a whole technical department of the NFF (led by y’all know who) not have it?
And if they do, how come we always end up having sub-quality players in our NTs in the end.
Kudos to you once again.
Thanks a million for your kind words @Dr.Drey.. The truth is that those people at the NFF know these top-perfprming players . After all they are the ones that issue them the International Clearance Certificate anytime they move abroad to join foreign clusides.Most of them joined the Euro train straight from our football academies’and clubs in the NPFL. However, Ii’s strange some of these good players end up not playing for our national teams throughout their entire careers. We always end up with average players. Last time a
Tanzania -based defender,who is now in the lower ring of English football,was called up to the Super Eagles even when there were better options in Europe and the NPFL ,just because he comes from the same state and tribe with a former coach of the team . Such scenario cannot happen in saner football climes like England,France Germany,Italy , Belgium, Portugal, Sprain,The Netherlands,Brazil, Argentina and even in North Africa nations of Egypt, Morocco,Tunisia, Algeria. We need to always select our best players no matter where they ply their trade.