Alex Iwobi had said he and his Super Eagles teammates are working really hard and hopefully it will pay off when they face their Group C opponents.
On Monday the Super Eagles continued their preparation ahead of their opener against Tanzania today (Tuesday).
Despite the light rain the players and the coaching crew were putting in the work as they get set to begin their campaign.
Speaking to journalists before the start of the training session, Iwobi spoke about the defeat to Egypt in a friendly match, stating that they only focused on lessons learnt from the encounter.
Also Read: 2025 AFCON: Super Eagles Look To Maintain Dominance Over Tanzania
“We lost a preparation game but we took some positives, a lot of new faces a lot of people adapting to the system, adapting to the way the manager wants us to play.
“We are still preparing, we are working hard, we have the full team now together hopefully the preparation will go well and we will get the results.”
The Super Eagles will go into the clash with Tanzania as clear favourites l, having recorded five wins and three draws against their East African opponent.
The only AFCON encounter between the Super Eagles and Tanzania was in the opening game of the 1980 edition in Nigeria which ended 3-1 in favour of the home side.
By James Agberebi
4 Comments
Is he supposed to get a starting shirt? Considering what he has been playing for the Eagles. A reasonable coach will give him a starting shirt.
A legend of Afcon without a legendary status, will that narrative change for good for Alex Iwobi in this Afcon.
Most fans will find it hard to believe that this Afcon will be Iwobi’s 4th, yet he has struggled to establish himself as one of the icons of this continental showpiece.
In 2019, he had a healthy run of games, running in midfield, running himself to the ground but never really ran the midfield with compelling authority. He contributed to goals and passing routines but these were not nearly enough to register him as a standout player.
2022 was a tournament to forget as Eguavoen preferred Joe Aribo ahead of him. Coming in as a sub in that ill-fated second round match against Tunisia, he got himself needlessly sent off, confirming Eguavoen’s lack of faith in him, contributing to the factors that lost Nigeria the match.
2024 was a much better year. In 2019, he showcased his offensive credentials, in ’24 , his more defensive credentials as Nigeria used subverted logic by using a defensive approach to almost lift the trophy.
Yet, it was William Troost-Ekong who stole the show and won the prize even as Frank Onyeka won the hearts of fans ahead of Iwobi (his partner in an overworked and underappreciated midfield partnership).
Here we go again, or rather, here Iwobi goes again.
Will he finally announce himself as one of the greats in the pantheon of great Afcon Midfielders.
Sunday Mba. Remember him? He only needed one tournament, he only had one chance, he only ever had one opportunity to write his name is the folklore of Afcon mythology. Did he take it? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Iwobi has already had 3 chances, more than Sunday Mba had, more than Sunday Mba will ever have.
I will drop my preferred lineup soon. Along with the tactical reasons.
Let Afcon begin!
@ Deo, thumbs up.
No doubt about Iwobi’s creativity and capability. Also, his personality is top notch. However, if we are to give a honest assessment of his performance for the Super Eagles since the 2018 Wcup exit, he is the most overhyped player in the current team.Only few players in the history of the national team could have gotten away with the type of calamity display in recent years..
Zero goal and assist in his last 10 games ifor the national team should become a huge concern for the coaching crew.
Pisse8ro had to bench him and other inconsistent players like Chukwueze, Iheanacho, Arizona, Awaziem, and Onuachu to get to the last AFCON final. I hope Chelle could get some lessons from Pesseiro’s notes and upgrade to AFCON victory.