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Former Nigeria international Ifeanyi Udeze has said lack of creativity and crosses from the wings are affecting Paul Onuachu’s performance in the Super Eagles.
Onuachu has been impressive for Genk in the Belgian Jupiler taking his tally to 12, after bagging a brace in his side’s 5-1 win at Cercle Brugge on Saturday.
His goals at the weekend means he leads the top scorers chart in the Belgian top-flight this season.
Also Read: ‘He Is An Important Player’-Gattuso Rues Osimhen Absence In Napoli’s Big Win Vs Roma
But it is a sharp contrast for Onuachu in the colours of the Eagles as he has netted just one goal which was in his debut in a friendly against Egypt which ended 1-0 in 2019.
And Udeze feels the 26-year-old will continue to struggle for the Eagles if he doesn’t get qualify services.
“We know Paul Onuachu is a goal scorer when it comes to club level but we don’t know what the problem is in the national team,” Udeze said on The Big Sports Breakfast Show on Brila FM on Monday.
“He has scored 12 goals and is the top scorer in Belgium so what is the problem? Why is he not scoring goals in the national team? That is something we need to look at.
“And I have said this before there is no creative midfielder to supply him with passes and the wingers don’t bring in crosses.
“When you have a tall striker like Paul Onuachu all that needs to be done is for crosses to be floated in for him but he doesn’t get it and no passes from midfield so how is he expected to score? It will be difficult for him.”
By James Agberebi
31 Comments
But other strikers and players in the national team apart from him score goals. He needs to go to his viallge anf find out what is actually wrong with him in national colours and not sitting there and be looking for whom to blame.
@Oakfield, don’t mind all these armchair critics that called themselves exinternational, so the whole team should mode their pattern just for one player, what will happen if substituted, injured or red carded?
Other strikers has been scoring for us, with our pattern, Mr onuachu should visit Synagogue for dileverance from his village people
No mind them…..
Idiot
He doesn’t have Energy to run around or hustle ball like good strikers do, look at Ibrahimovic, sometimes you see him in Midfield, sometimes defending, Paul is not workaholic striker, he should come to France or spain come prove itself, he need to be rugged
@Oakfield Awesome response…..applause..!! LMAO.
The same “…no creative midfielder to supply him with passes…” made Ighalo top scorer in AFCON qualifying and tournament proper. That same “…no creative midfielder to supply him with passes…” has made Osimhen the leading scorer in this current qualifying series. Onuachu really needs to go and beg them in the village. my grouse with him is not even that he doesnt not score, its the fact that he contributes nothing to the team when he is on. Since his debut, When he starts our attack never functions, when he comes on as a sub the attack collapses. Ighalo wasnt always scoring goals initially, but he was massive for the team. Osimhen too didn’t score from open play in his 1st 8 matches, be we could all see how much he brought into the team. Apart from the goal Onuachu scored on his debut I am struggling to remember him ever giving an accurate pass in a SE shirt…..talking about assist will be taking it too far. Even in the days when we were known for wingplay we have never been a cross and nod/wait and get team. We only used the wings to get behind the defense of our opponents, most of our goals where usually from balls to feet…though we did score a few headers….but they were usually on occassions….at least of the 7 goals we score at the WC only 1 was a header. Similarly of the about 9 or 10 goals we score in Tunisia only 1 was also a headers. So if Onuachu is hoping to do wait and get against African teams, they he should continue to hope.
@drey, honestly. He really needs to visit his village to ask questions.
Nice one @ Drey and Oakfield. They wanna force the SE to modify their style to accomodate Onuachu. How foolish is that idea when we all know players can easily lost form at certain stage. So what happens to the SE team then. We have over the years had players that banged in goals upon goals in europe but never were able to translate that to the national team. Richard Owobukiri, Anthony Ujah, Akpoborire, Peter Ijeh etc. The list is endless. Its never the number of goals that makes a national team material but a certain WARRIOR CHARACTER and that character gets such players hitting the ground running once invited and its become very obvious Onuachu lack in these.
@glory, you are just spot on.
@Glory – God Bless You!! 1000% Spot on!!
So bcos of one player in the team (not even MESSI or CR7), the entire team (23 players) must change their game pattern to accomodate him….
How many teams in europe still play cross and nord pattern of game….
Modern day football has really change…. U see full backs joining attacks and creating scoring chances…..
Strikers are not static any more…. MAN. U against SOUTHANTOM is a typical example…. CAVANI moves to the right and took a low cross which BRUNO scores…. He later went to his normal position and scored 2….
U see GABRIEL, AGUERO, WERNER, (even ABRAHAM), AUBA, SUAREZ, FIRMINHO, LEWANDOSKI, LUKAKU, BENZEMA, VARDY, CALVERT-LEWIN, KANE et all droping deep, moving side & making diagonal runs to create chances for others….
All these things are contribution they give to their team…..
But our own want all the 10 players to keep crossing ball for him to score….
This curse shall surelly be broken one day….
Loool…. Him want seat for kitchen dy chop plantain before rice is done. Amen any way! Lol
The problem with Paul onauchu is quite simple : his pace.
It will be foolish to try to adapt super eagles to him instead of the reverse. The super eagles rohr has been trying to build has always been the one of pace – chock your opponent in the midfield with your DM (onazi initially, now ndidi), get the ball and attack, and do it quickly. Even when super eagles played with 3-5-2, super eagles still moved with speed. Best example is the game against Iceland. Rohr paired Musa (who at that time was the god of speed) and Iheanacho (quality vision and hold up play) up front. It was their combined skillset that got us the goals.
The fact onuachu isn’t messi or ronaldo doesn’t mean all his eleven goals this season is a fluke. The guy has quality and rohr is still trying to find it out. As fans let us be patient with him. At least we know that with a full squad he is likely not going to be called. Even if he was, he will be third choice striker.
Anyway, it is Leicester vs Fulham today. I hope Iheanacho starts, then it will be four Nigerians on the pitch.
Onuachu is a slow-moving,physically torpid kind of striker.This kind of strikers does not cut it for the super eagles,never has.
Perhaps playing for a bigger team in the European best leagues could add more to his game and probably get him to that level to excel with the super eagles.
Apparently,hoping he finishes as top scorer in the Belgian Jupiler,which will stand him in good stead for the future as he seeks a better club in one of the top 5 leagues in Europe.
Meanwhile Lookman just scored for Fulham against Leicester city. Fulham is 2 goals up.
Watching lookman play is a delight. You can see the hunger in his game He is very tenacious and always looking to get the ball, always willing to take his man on, a little aggressive in his tackling tho and some misplaced passes but generally his play has been very good, what an exciting player. To me his inclusion will be massive. The way he presses upfront is what we need to compliment osimen. He finished the fulham counterattack with aplomb.
I’m not a coach or an agent. I am a fan. Yes, a core fan of Super Eagles. I said this last night and Udeze said exact words today.
God, I thank you o for your mercy over me and us all.
This shows that the coaches we have in charge of the Super Eagles today are not capable to move Super Eagles forward.
Kudos to you Udeze for pointing this out.
If I use this my mouth to talk, you better listen to my advice Oga Rohr, NFF and coach Rohr followers.
NFF have failed woefully on coach Rohr.
Oga Rohr would have been fired after the world cup.
It is not too late though. Get Amunike, Egbo, Enyeama and Ikeme on board then, problem solved.
Onuachu is a fantastic striker. We have incredible, experienced young players but I’m not sorry to say this, we don’t have coaches that capable to turn things around.
This is very annoying thing now. We have people that more qualified than coach Rohr but NFF refused to get them on board.
What us going on? And we are expecting a new Nigeria? With these carbals and oppressors?
I’m very angry right now. We have good players but we don’t enjoy good football. No patterns. No directions and game plan. What is the point then?
This is quite disturbing. You may not know now but as time goes on, Super Eagles will exposed period. God bless Nigeria!!!
Thank you for your keen observations. However, paid e-diots like the fake Dr. Drey and his side-chick oatmeal will not see sense in this because such comments underscores the ineptitude of Rohr in simple technical matters. Once any comment highlighting the obvious is made, they bare their fangs out like little “female dogs” scratching and biting doing their master’s bidding.
Cursed simpletons they are.
@Dr. Drey, I’m begging you in the name of God, stop using somebody’s login ID.
If you fear God and you are truly loved your country/Super Eagles and you want progress for Eagles, once again, stop using another person’s user name.
As patriotic Nigerians, we are here for a serious business.
Our objective is easy and simple. We stand for the truth. Please and thank you. God bless you! God bless us all!! God bless Nigeria!!!
@omo 9ja abeg no dey mind all this noise makers, wey never play ball. They expect Onachu too be coming back to call for ball. Please how many balls were given to him. We just have wingers who are just selfish. You see a player thriving at his club and you ask why he is underperforming in the national team, please watch his club matches very well and come and compare with the national team.
Why can’t Onuachu transfer club form to the Super Eagles?
https://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/why-cant-onuachu-transfer-his-blistering-club-form-to-the/1e1so5uudulyk1isp1rf7ijcvc
@Kenneth,@Omo9ja and the imposter.Over to you.Read the above link and get understanding.
Don’t get what you trying to prove with the link you sent. Please take time and watch his matches, and stop using the league he plays for to discredit the player he is. When he was playing in denmark, was he not banging in goals. Are we going to say because it is Danish league thats why it is easy for him to score. bro please come up with better excuses. Your wingers in the national team are plain selfish. Please comapre when Finidi and amuneke were playing at the wings and pulling in crosses for rashidi to finish. Maybe you need to go back and watch Tunisia 94 games again. Your midfielders are not kicking ball into the middle like oliseh would. So please look into this deficiencies too by your wingers. You don’t have to dribble all the men on the field. It is a team sport
Guys who go win for this match of regular vs probables SE
(Regular 442)
Uzoho
Aina-Akpoguma-Balogun-Sanusi
Samu-Ndidi-Aribo-Kalu
Iwobi-Osimen
Sadiq Umar-Musa
Lookman-Ejaria-Etebo-Simon
Collins-Adarabioyo-Awaziem-Ebuehi
Okoye
(Probables 442)
Either team will hold dia own against any country in the continent of Africa. A couple of the guys in the probables can easily displace some of the regulars. Ekong to me has no place on this list bcos if u watch him, everything he can do, the defenders on this list can do them better with the exception of giving the ball away cheaply. Any time he passes the ball over tge center circle, its straight to the opposition. My advise to him is always play tge simple ball to either the LB, RB, DM, CB stop trying to look for the long ball as its not part of his repertoire. He should be passing the ball beyong the center circle bcos na ball throway be dat. Watch the positioning of Adavabioyo or Akpoguma (mainz vs Hoffeiheim) and see how good CB play. I know people will call for Iheanacho’s inclusion which is fair but Musa offers more than him in my view but him ahead of Sadiq to me is not a good idea. Sadiq will give almost if not dsame as what Osimen will give, I doubt SE will miss a beat if Sadiq should replace isimen with 20 mins left in a game compared to iheanacho or Onuachu. Just a thought.
its a surprise that nobody people keep forgetting about Tosim Adarabioyo, the media and Rohr keeps overlooking him he is solid very solid
I don’t think Adarabioyo has been officially cleared to play for us yet… He will definitely get invited once cleared. He is an exciting lad
@Oakfield, don’t mind all these armchair critics that called themselves exinternational, so the whole team should mode their pattern just for one player, what will happen if substituted, injured or red carded?
Other strikers has been scoring for us, with our pattern, Mr onuachu should visit Synagogue for dileverance from his village people
paul onuachu should take a cue from KANU NWAKWO because tall as papillo was,he was skillful,fast nd excitingly FRAGILE on the ball……so much that arsene wenger resorted to him when chips were down.Again people talk about gernot rohr giving 10,15 minutes to players to perform,ofcourse a VERY GOOD PLAYER DOES NOT NEED all the time in the world to prove his worth……good players are often GAME CHANGERS with every touch of the ball anytime they step on the pitch
x
continue to blame an underperfoming team for a single player. Most of our midfielders and forwards are just average and it is reflecting in our results. Does Super Eagles really have an effective pattern of play since World Cup 2018 that has really brought any formidable opponent down ever since? If Onuachu can perform in Denmark and now Belgium… for which we know he has, then we should be asking ourselves questions, what we are not doing well.
Paulo is good. Look at the highlights below of his brace against Cercle Brugge.
His two goals were striker goals. The second one, he bumped a defender of the ball, and then scored. His goal attempt at 1:19 shows intelligence and awareness of the goalie’s position. He almost scored with that effort, a shot from the edge of the center circle!
Paulo’s problem in the SE is that he is not getting enough service. And his slow, languid style is not helping him. He needs to be more energetic, throw himself about more, be more of a presence in the attack.
However, to say he is not a good striker is WRONG. He is benching Dessers for a reason. To succeed with the SE, he needs to make a few adjustments, and his SE team mates need to give him what he needs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2kbwcUUzU0