The Eagles beat the Taifa Stars of Tanzania by 2 goals to 1 tonight.
I’m not here to condemn the team, but point out the Eagles weaknesses.
Zaidu Zanusi used to be very good on the left side of the defence but it appears the lack of competition in the team has made him become a rather weak player.
He had as many faulty passes as one can count. And when he did manage to have the ball in the final third, his crosses hardly went past the first Tanzanian player. He was as passive as a defender whose team was already losing by a basketful of goals.
Osayi Samuel did not fare much better at the right back position.
Wilfred Ndidi, no doubt a strong player in his prime,has grown from being the Eagles lynchpin to Eagles Achilles heels. His ability as a strong midfielder has dropped, so are his performances in an Eagles shirt.
Chukwueze did his best, but he played more of Secondary School football that the kind of football expected to be on display at Africa’s biggest football showpiece.
But for the goal scored by Lookman,he did everything to fulfill an earlier prophecy of him being a “zero” if fielded in the match.
Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi’s pairing will always be a joke.
While Bassey moved the ball well and played with precision, Ajayi was not only lethargic but very slow. Idowu Otubusin,a former Green Eagles player, though nicknamed “slow” but that was not with the addendum “poison”.
For Semi Ajayi, his being slow was without no venom.
Will the Eagles go far in the competition?
Only time would tell and 90 minutes being the ultimate judge in the upcoming matches.
One thing is clear, whether it is the players or the coach’s formation, should Eagles play the way they played tonight against any formidable side in their subsequent matches, forget!
By Remi Adesina
