The Victor Osimhen problem and 4 questions Bruno Labbadia must address for the Super Eagles to thrive

Former Bayern Munich and FC Kaiserslautern striker Bruno Labbadia was on Tuesday appointed the new head coach of the Nigerian men’s national team.

Labbadia’s immediate task is to guide Nigeria to produce impressive results against Benin Republic and Rwanda in the first two rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Towards that end, the Nigeria Football Federation has released a 23-man squad list reportedly endorsed by new gaffer Labbadia.

That roster has, however, raised concerns that Labbadia may want to follow the same unpopular blueprint that pitted Jose Peseiro and Finidi George against Super Eagles fans.

Soccernet.ng‘s Imhons Erons highlights four of those problems below.

Is Calvin Bassey a centre-back?

One of the first decisions Labbadia will have to make is whether to continue to deploy Calvin Bassey at centre-back for the Super Eagles.

Traditionally a left-back, Bassey has been Fulham’s first-choice left centre-back since he joined from Ajax Amsrerdam last year.

Admittedly, Bassey has shown improvement in how he interprets that role compared to when he was at Ajax.

However, Nigerians have only seen the best of Bassey when he he plays as a left full-back or as one of a three-man centre-back system, which Peseiro maximised as the Super Eagles reached the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Should Labbadia decide to proceed with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, Bassey will be better served as a fullback while Semi Ajayi and Olisa Ndah can battle for the spot beside captain William Troost-Ekong at the heart of the defence.

Does the Super Eagles need more strikers than wingers?

Labbadia’s first Super Eagles list comprises of three goalkeepers, seven defenders, six midfielders, and seven attackers. Of the seven attackers, there are four centre-forwards and only three wingers.

For a head coach who prefers to parade two wide men and one out-and-out striker in his starting eleven, there appears to be one too many forward in this selection.

While Moses Simon complements Ademola Lookman well on the Eagles’ left flank, there seems to be no such balance on the right wing where Samuel Chukwueze is the only one invited.

Peseiro and Finidi tried to deploy Kelechi Iheanacho in that role but the Sevilla star proved severally that such a tactical move is a terrible mistake.

Labbadia would be wise not to follow suit when there are better wingers – Nathan Tella easily comes to mind – willing to take up that responsibility.

Will player invitation be on merit or past glory?

Only the best players performing at the best of their abilities per time should be called up to the national team.

If that proprosition is true, then the presence of Kelechi Iheanacho in the latest Super Eagles squad raises eyebrows.

The 27-year-old striker featured little for Leicester City during the second half of last season and is still struggling to find his feet at new club Sevilla.

Yet, he makes the squad ahead of Glasgow Rangers star Cyriel Dessers, who has carried his excellent form from last season into the new campaign.

On the international scene, Dessers’ last goal for Nigeria came in March in the friendly win over Ghana while Iheanacho has not hit the target since a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe in November last year.

Labbadia must know that Nigerians love Iheanacho but we love a Super Eagles win more.

Invitation to the national team must be based on merit only and not to pander to some hidden interests.

Can Nigeria win without Osimhen?

Peseiro may not have been tactically better than Finidi but the Portuguese tactician was certainly luckier in having Victor Osimhen at his disposal more times than the Super Eagles legend.

With Osimhen in the team, Peseiro’s Eagles won their AFCON qualifying group and claimed silver medal at the tournament proper.

The Napoli striker was the top scorer during the qualifying campaign and despite not banging the goals in Cote d’Ivoire, Peseiro never considered taking him out of the starting lineup.

Osimhen was, however, unavailable during Finidi’s four-game tenure, with Nigeria winning one, drawing one and losing the other two.

Thankfully, Labbadia is taking the reins at a time Osimhen is fit and the duo of Rwanda and Benin Republic will face the wrath of Africa’s best footballer.

However, to succeed in his new role, Labbadia must devise a strategy that will see the Super Eagles remain competitive and retain the ability to win games when Osimhen is not in the team.

The Napoli striker will not always be available and there are many elite strikers in Europe and beyond capable of leading the attack for the Super Eagles in his absence.

Once Labbadia finds a solution to this thorny issue, he will be on the path to enjoying a great time with the three-time AFCON kings.

NB: What other question(s) is tugging at your heart since you saw the Super Eagles list for the Rwanda and Benin games? Share it in the comment section below.