Wilfred Ndidi set up compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho who scored to help Leicester City defeat Preston North End 3-0 in the Championship on Wednesday night.
Iheanacho has now scored in back-to-back league games and has taken his tally for the season to three in 10 appearances.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall put Leicester 1-0 up in the 60th minute before Iheanacho made it 2-0 on 76 minutes after a superb assist from Ndidi.
In the 90th minute Dewsbury-Hall grabbed his second goal to put Leicester 3-0 ahead.
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The win took Leicester, on 27 points, two points clear of second-placed Ipswich in the league table.
The Foxes have won four (lost one) of their last five games in all competitions.
Both Ndidi and Iheanacho were called up for the Super Eagles’ double header friendly game against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique this month in Portugal.
9 Comments
Enzo Maresca has transformed Ndidi into a terrific box to box midfielder. He has been playing some terrific football of late. Who would have thought Ndidi would be so comfortable in advanced positions on the pitch? Making defense-splitting passes and whipping delicious crosses into the box? And all the while also providing good cover for his defense?
For Nigeria, he should do great alongside Iwobi and maybe the new kid on the block, Fisayo Dele-Bash. Looks like our midfield issues are gradually on the mend.
His crosses, awareness, and ability to pick out the right pass despite pressure is a delight to watch. I could never have thought that Ndidi could be an assist provider, talk less of play as a no8. It’s good to have a coach that sees your true potential and can utilize it. The present looks good for the Super Eagles, because our coach is getting his act together and our key players are peaking appropriately. Long may this continue.
Ndidi the assist provider. It’s great to see. Let’s hope Peseiro can continue what Maresca has started.
Brodaman @ Pompei. Most times people’s criticism of players are unquantifiably matched with prevailing circumstances, such as coaches tactics, team mates honesty, personal issues etc. Reason I hardly criticise a player especially when such player might have proven how good he is at some point. I rather choose to look at the broader spectrum than making a quick rash judgement/deceptive match statistics. Ndidi’s game was suffering under Brender Rogers. That is just the plain truth, just like Joe Aribo, always a good player now suffering at Southampton.
On point.
True indeed!
So glad this guy is shutting some people up. I first noticed this advance role against Madagascar in 2018 when he came from the bench. Most people didn’t notice the performance because we lost the Match to a lowly Madagascar.
Small time, some ex players (as they claimed to be) prefer Nwakali to Indidi sighting his lack of skills and good passes as their reasons yet Madrid and Bayern Munich can only notice Indidi and not other naija midfielders for the fact that their best Midfielder has played in La Liga for years. Only God can help us in this country.
Imagine this squad as Nigeria 11 against Senegal.
Nwabali
Shehu
Anibaba
Omeruo
Francis(future)
Nnadi (future)
Nwakali
Akinsanmiro (future)
Junior Ajayi
Iwuala
Arokodare
Fanendo Adi etc.
That’s what they wanted for naija but Paseiro has other plans.
This is interesting.
So Ndidi is now becoming a trending and credible box to box midfielder in the eyes of very many Super Eagles fans.
Well what can I say?
As a critic of Ndidi I have to swallow that proverbial Humble Pie laced with Bitter leaf to congratulate Ndidi in his rejuvenation and new found fame.
But someone saw this coming, no not Pep Guardiola but the much maligned Austin Eguavoen.
“When I see Ndidi in the midfield, not 100% Oliseh [Sunday, legendary African midfielder], but I think he is on his way to becoming one of the best midfielders in the world,” Eguavoen said in the lead up to last year’s ill-fated Afcon campaign.
“But he’s holding back as far as I am concerned. He’s got a lot to still give, but I think he is holding back.
“I have spoken to him on one or two occasions.” Eguavoen concluded.
I (deo) have to say that scoring and providing assists against Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers and relegated Southampton are the same as pulling these off against Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. We have seen the likes of Semi Ajayi and William Troost Ekong light up the English Championship only to be doused and effectively curtailed in the English Premier League.
But, give praise where praise is due: so, Ndidi’s green shoot of recovery is worthy of encomium regardless of the calibre of league where he is delivering the goods.
You see, Eguavoen is prescient. He saw the qualities in Ndidi but maybe 2022 wasn’t Ndidi’s time. The 1994 World Villain against Italy who incurred a useless penalty that doomed Nigeria hitched his star to Ndidi’s wagon against Tunisia in the Afcon round of 16 last year.
Sadly, Ndidi was displaced en route to Tunisia’s sucker punch whilst the same Ndidi was woeful when he found himself in space to score a goal that could have dragged Nigeria back into the game.
How ironic would it now be if Peseiro succeeds where Eguavoen failed in unlocking Ndidi’s huge potentials that he (Eguavoen) identified but failed to harness successfully (due to his ineffective translation of the 4-4-2 formation that arguably overburdened Ndidi).
When Ndidi was in Belgium, I was younger and had far more time in my hands and irrepressible passion to follow Nigerian players, and my God Ndidi blew me away with his rambunctious spellbinding performances. He had bullet shots in his feet and appeared to be an unstoppable force of nature in the midfield. Moving to Leicester, he honed his defensive responsibilities at the expense of the offensive aspects of his game (which diminished beyond recognition).
The Ndidi that Eguavoen took to the Afcon last year was not a force offensively. Eguavoen was misplaced in his judgement in placing offensive responsibilities on Ndidi (similar to how the late great Shuibu Amodu placed an offensive faith on Mikel Obi who had been converted to a defensive midfield in Chelsea).
However, the Ndidi at Peseiro’s disposal is a different kettle of fish entirely. This one is brimming in confidence of what he can do offensively whilst still retaining his defensive acumen. This is the Ndidi that Eguavoen was referring to – something closer to the guy I watched in Genk all that many seasons ago that scored spellbinding goals.
So, Eguavoen’s vision of Ndidi might yet come true, not for him though but for his successor!
Ndidi is a rare type of Nigeria..
When he left central defense to defensive midfield few people believed it was possible but he proved his doubters wrong..
Now he is going from defensive midfield to attacking or box to box midfielder and something tells me he will show the world another version of him..
I saw the highlight of their game yesterday ,, Even the first goal was created by him although it wasn’t given him as an assist… In their previous game he won a penalty..
He reminds me of Kanu or Yaya toure with that long legs of his.. it is an interesting time for ndidi.. fortunately we need those brilliant performances when the world cup qualifiers and Afcon begin in few months time