Former Super Eagles head coach Samson Siasia believes the current team lacks a creative midfielder. According to Siasia, the Super Eagles need a playmaker similar to former captain Austine Jay Jay Okocha to reach world-class status.
Since Okocha retired from international football in 2006, Nigeria has struggled to find an adequate replacement. Former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi was expected to fill the role but did not meet expectations.
Fulham’s Alex Iwobi has been deployed in the number 10 role in recent years, but Siasia feels he is not suited for the position.
“We don’t have an offensive midfielder capable of delivering the final pass to the strikers. We have excellent strikers, but we are missing that key player,” Siasia told reporters.
“Iwobi is a good player, but he’s not performing as well as an attacking midfielder should. We need to find someone in the center who can not only make those decisive passes but also score goals.”
He added, “Our defense and the rest of the midfield are solid, but we need someone like Okocha, only with even better goal-scoring ability.”
