Former Nigeria worldwide, Etim Esin, has expressed concern over the continued failure of strikers, apart from Victor Osimhen, to ship for the Tremendous Eagles throughout worldwide assignments and describes the state of affairs as a worrisome one which requires pressing consideration, Completesports.com experiences.
Etim Esin
The present Tremendous Eagles squad boasts an array of strikers excelling at their respective golf equipment. Nevertheless, many wrestle to duplicate their membership kind when known as as much as the Nigerian nationwide crew.
One such participant is Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, who confronted criticism for his underwhelming performances throughout matchdays 5 and 6 of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers towards Benin Republic and Rwanda. Boniface, with 11 caps for the Tremendous Eagles, is but to open his objective account.
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Equally, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has managed simply two objectives in 10 appearances, whereas Southampton’s Paul Onuachu has scored thrice in 24 outings. Terem Moffi has netted 4 objectives in 18 video games, and Umar Sadiq has just one objective in 12 appearances.
In stark distinction, Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Participant of the Yr, has scored 23 objectives in 39 matches for the nationwide crew.
Osimhen missed the Tremendous Eagles’ first 4 matches within the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, throughout which the crew scored 4 objectives — courtesy of Semi Ajayi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and Raphael Onyedika. Notably, in the course of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, Osimhen was the one striker to attain, with the opposite objectives coming from Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, and midfielder Dele-Bashiru.
In an unique interview with Completesports.com, Esin lamented the dearth of consistency from the strikers and described their struggles as a troubling growth.
“In any event, you need to rely in your strikers to ship. If we hold relying solely on Osimhen, it’s going to get us nowhere,” the previous midfielder stated.
“Osimhen can solely play his half. What occurs if he will get injured? Does that imply we gained’t rating? It’s very worrying. A striker enjoying the quantity 9 position should rating constantly for his nation—that’s the usual worldwide. You possibly can’t play 4 video games to your nation with out scoring a objective; it doesn’t make sense.”
Esin added: “Boniface, as an illustration, has been given quite a few alternatives, however he nonetheless can’t rating for Nigeria. That is turning into a serious concern. Does it imply Eguavoen can not depend on every other striker? Or are we saying that if Osimhen doesn’t rating, then Nigeria gained’t rating?
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“I performed alongside nice strikers just like the late Rashidi Yekini, Samson Siasia, and Richard Owubokiri. They delivered for each membership and nation. Boniface is prolific in Germany, however in relation to Nigeria, he retains lacking probabilities. We have to deal with this challenge earlier than AFCON 2025; in any other case, we could have a giant downside.”
Esin, a former Lokeren and Lierse participant in Belgium, additionally steered that the absence of a inventive midfielder could possibly be hindering the strikers’ performances.
“One other challenge is the dearth of a inventive midfielder — a correct quantity 10 who can orchestrate performs, present assists, and unsettle opposing groups,” the 58-year-old defined.
“That magic contact of gamers like Jay-Jay Okocha, Henry Nwosu, and even myself is lacking. We don’t have naturally gifted playmakers anymore. Everyone seems to be simply common. As an illustration, individuals hold speaking about Iwobi, however he can’t do half of what Okocha did. That comparability doesn’t maintain water.
“These days, groups face the Tremendous Eagles with out concern as a result of we lack a participant who can convey the stadium to life,” Esin concluded.
By James Agberebi
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