Alex Iwobi insists the Super Eagles are firmly focused on winning a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title, reports Completesports.com.
The Super Eagles have been the most impressive team at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, winning all of their three group games with six goals scored and one conceded.
The West Africans will keep a date with the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in their second round fixture at the Roumde Adija Stadium, Garoua on Sunday.
Read Also:Players’ Commitment Key To Eguavoen’s Eagles’ AFCON 2021 Winning Streak –Shorunmu
Iwobi, who featured in all of Nigeria’s three group games believes the Super Eagles are good enough to win the title, but they must keep performing at the best level.
“Our objective is to win the title. I believe we have the quality to do that and most people now believe in us because of our performance in the group stage,” the Everton star told the media.
“We are now getting to the most difficult part of the competition and we must not allow our performance to drop.
“Our fans are expecting so much from us now and we cannot afford to disappoint them. For us, it’s the trophy or nothing”
By Adeboye Amosu in Garoua
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COMMENTS
Iwobi must focus on raising his game. He has been average in this tournament. Lolzzzz. Heaven bless Iwobi and all average Super Eagles players
He has been average because of the position the coach has been playing him. I have said it before, that it is better to keep Iwobi on the bench than play him on the wings, especially the right wing. The best position to play him which no player in the team currently play better than him, is the number 10 role. Apart from being a good play maker and chief distributor of passes, he is also very good at scoring too
Took the words out of my mouth.I have echoed this many times Iwobi is not a natural winger though he could function there but not his best position.
He’s a number 10 he has the natural flair of a number 10 that’s the position he plays well for Nigeria.
Iwobi should be played in the number 10 position, directly behind Iheanacho who will lead the attack. Awoniyi should come in the second half. For the wings, Moses Simon should be on the left while Chukwueze should mount the right. Ejuke is really not as good as people think. I have seen enough of him to make that conclusion. But I prefer him to Onyekuru.
For corner kicks, Simon should stop wasting our corner kicks. From the players that have auditioned for the corner kick role, Iwobi is the best corner kick taker in the team currently. He should be the one saddled with the responsibility.
Our best line up/formation with the players available currently.
……………Okoye………………
Aina…….Ekong….Omeruo……Sanusi
……….Ndidi………………….
……………………….Aribo…..
Chukwueze…….Iwobi…………Simon
……………Iheanacho…………..
East, West, North and South, this is our best bet with the players currently available.
Iheanacho hasn’t good ball control to play top striking role. I think he should be benched for Iwobi in the midfield while Awoniyi plays his deputy role as no9.
@Chuzzy Iheanacho is a prolific striker.He is not well utilized in this tournament unfortunately.Playing behind wasteful Awoniyi is the reason we haven’t scored more considering the numbers of chances created in the first round.
With the chances created in the current super eagles we need a clinical striker like Iheanacho to utilize those begging chances.
Playing as a pointman he has unbelievable control and strikes the ball hard and most times on target.
He’s the best striker in the current team.
Don’t get me wrong Awoniyi has played well so far but Iheanacho can do a lot better.
You guys think Ihenancho is a striker..We’ve seen this time and time again in past eagles games,even at leceister city.Iheanacho isn’t a 9..If we were playing a formation that allows two strikers upfront he’ll be more suited..He can’t play as the lone striker.Moreover,his hold up play isn’t that superb.
Ihenancho has to start no boubt,the only position he’s more suited with this current formation is the No.10 role..He’s struck a good partnership with awoniyi,I don’t see any reasons to change that
Iwobi for me just have to make do playing on the wings
He’ll be more suited playing on the left than on the right wing..To me he should be Simon’s direct replacement
But then again..you question iwobi’s defensive work
Could you make references to past eagles or Leicester city games he failed as a number 9?You guys are soled to believe he can’t play as a pointman without any valid reasons or evidences for all I know and we have seen from his days at Manchester city he excelled leading the line.
He is used behind the striker lately because he has the vision to pick passes but in the current team he’s the best finisher available.
Spot-on
I will play Aribo ahead of Iwobi. And iheanacho can score awuf goals a lot when used as a point man. All those no stress goals. We can actually start this way and later bring awoniyi or start with awoniyi and later remove him and revert to this.But Equaveon will really be bold to try another formula at this stage
Guys!i am not comfortable with the news that some non officials were allowed to visits super eagles comp rainy currency on them when the team needed to be focused cus the team still have long way to go in this tournament i hope the nff knw what they’re doing because there’s a big test ahead.
@Ocheremma Mma, Egudiola is very well aware just like u and I that Iwobi has a wider passes range than Iheanacho as a number 10. However, we cannot afford to keep Iheanacho on the bench because in every game he either scores or gives and assist .His high pressing is also top notch. Aribo can do the wide passes so iwobi will come in from the bench. U tried to echo what Iwobi said on super sports that Iheanacho should be move to 9 but u forgot that that experiment has been tried at club level and even here under Rohr and it did not work. Iheanacho is not a number 9. He is only good coming in from behind. Many empirical evidences abound that lends credence to this fact
I don’t know the empirical evidences you are on about please could you make references to that?
Meanwhile,Rohr’s early days as a super eagles coach was very successful and the one who led the line in the attack was Nacho,he lead the line well and was scoring virtually in every game he played.
He scored lots of goals for Manchester city as a pointman did at Leicester city deputising for Vardy when he was out injured.Because he did so well Rodgers decided to try a formation where both strikers will play together.
If you go back and carefully watch most Leicester past games you will realise Vardy does most of the running from either wings to create for Iheanacho to pounce in the centre.
The time for experimentation is over. Equaveon knows this and he already knows his first eleven and best playing pattern. He might tweak patterns towards the end of a game but I don’t see and I don’t expect any rash decisions or huge risk taking till the end of the tournament. Gracias
On that Iheanacho, Rogers is the one trying to make us believe Kelechi isn’t good as a striker but behind a striker. This foolish conclusion is down to his style of play, which is stretching long balls towards their pacy striker (Vardy). The whole team is built this Vardy’s quality. Kelechi does not have that kind of pace, but he’s a better finisher than even Vardy. If you play him as a top 9, in a more compact team with quality wingers, Iheanacho will score a good number of goals. The reason why he’s flourishing playing behind Awoniyi, is because he has mastered that role, and being a smart ass, he will continue to deliver in that role. Imagine that assist to Sadiq, that’s a class, the timing, the curve, and the precision. However, i will prefer Eguavoen playing him as a top man.
We are forgetting the fact Ihenancho is actually a No.10 from his playing days with the junior Cadet teams.The U-17s U-20s and U-23s he played behind the striker.. sometimes he was deployed on the wings.
Man city’s youth coach decided to convert him to a 9..Guardiola obliged
Nigerian coaches who have worked with Ihenancho in the past knows he’s not a real and proper 9.the likes of amuneke,Siasia even Egu knows this too
If you followed him from the U-17 days you’ll know this as well
I understand awoniyi has been wasteful in front of goal..but the work he does can’t be ignored.He sweats for this team
Did you see how he layed-off Simon for that goal against Sudan
I’ll play awoniyi as my top striker without thinking because of his physicality and smart movements.. something Ihenancho lacks
I’m sure awoniyi is working hard on how to convert chances..that’s one area Ihenancho is better
Guys leave the team alone, Aribo has benched Iwobi for good, Iwobi is and average player u guys must understand that. We should leave sentiment aside for now, Awoniyi, iheanacho, Simon and Aribo combo is working.
SE will beat Tunisia on Sunday and I am so sure about it as these are my reasons
1) SE is the only team in the Afcon that has not conceded a goal from open play while Tunisia has conceded 2 goals from open play.
2) SE has scored against all it’s opponents so far in the Afcon while Tunisia has scored against only one opponent which is poor Mauritius.
3) SE is playing on its home turf in Garouha because they have played all their games there and the home fans are behind them unlike Tunisia.
4) SE has scored first in all the matches they have played so far and Tunisia has not conceded first and won the same game in this Afcon so far.
5) SE plays the best Brand of football in the Afcon with a very devastating counter attack while Tunisia plays possessive football that in very vonulrable to counter attacks.
6) SE has the compliment of their full squad while Tunisia has alot of absentees for the game due to Corona virus.
7) SE has beaten a North African team already in this Afcon while Tunisia has been beaten by 2 west African countries already in this Afcon.
You see it will take a very big miracle for Tunisia to spring an upset on Sunday except SE experience a very drastic and unexplainable lose of form within this few days to the match……… Tunisia does not stand a chance against SE because all the odds are against them except they raise their game astronomically to a level that will shock the world of football and you can take my word to the bank.