Of late, numerous Super Eagles players have been hit by one form of injury or the other. The unsavory trend tail dived into penultimate week as combative midfielder Wilfried Ndidi played for less than a quarter of an hour when he suffered a hamstring injury in the Foxes’ 5-0 loss to Crystal Palace on April 28.
Apart from Ndidi, Torino’s Joel Obi, Mainz 05 defender Leon Balogun and ADO Den Haag’s wing-back Tyronne Ebuehi are also battling for fitness, with Anderlecht attacker Henry Onyekuru still working his way back to first-team action.
Despite assurances during the week that Wilfred Ndidi will be fit for the May 6 international friendly between Nigeria and England, the increasing number of injured players in the Super Eagles is becoming worrisome. Injuries to players of a team heading to the World Cup engenders a sense of vulnerability among them.
Although some have recovered, they are still to get back into the main teams of their clubs. One full recovery one could point at is Alex Iwobi who has featured in Arsenal’s last two matches. He capped a perfect showing against Burnley penultimate weekend with a fantastic goal. Ebuehi and Balogun too are reportedly bouncing back. The question is, how would this affect the team’s preparation for the World Cup?
Former Nigeria international, Taribo West is worried. He expressed regret over the development and said, “injuries to key players, particularly around the defence at this time is a delicate issue. I consider it a big blow to the coach’s plan because without Balogun the back four is never the same. I have watched the team play a few matches without him and the back four was not as solid and strong as they used to be when he is there. I just hope he will be okay before the World Cup.”
But the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick was optimistic that injuries or no injuries, Nigeria’s World Cup ambition was still intact. “We have no problem,” he assured. “The players will be okay as we are always in touch with them on a daily basis.”
Taribo said that their early recovery will be a big boost to the team and coach Rohr in particular. “I see them recovering before the tournament,” he said, adding, “I learnt Ndidi is recovering fast and that will be a big boost and good prospect for the team. Otherwise, it is a difficult matter for the coach.”
He called on Coach Gernot Rohr to dig in and call up his reserves, who should be capable of standing in for the crocked first teamers.
“Coach Rohr should have a solid backup team capable of standing on their own,” the France ’98 and Korea Japan 2002 World Cup star said. The no-nonsense defender went further to suggest Dele Adeleye, a defender who plays for FC Ifeanyi Uba as one who deserves a try with the Russia bound Super Eagles.
“He is a very good defender,” Taribo said, wondering why the CHAN Eagles star has not been drafted to the main squad. “Adeleye will be a capable replacement, in case Balogun cannot be in the team.” Beyond Adeleye whom he suggested, Taribo is asking the scouting team of the Super Eagles to expand their dragnet and invite potential replacements for injured players because, “you don’t gamble with half fit players at the World Cup. If the team have a deficiency in their play, when they get to the World Cup it will be exposed.”
Taribo does not share the belief that Nigeria will win the World Cup in Russia . “No, no, no. I don’t belong to that school of thought. The Super Eagles are still work in progress. It is a team that is still growing. Apart from Mikel, Victor Moses, Onazi and Ahmed Musa, the rest are young players who are going to the World Cup for the first time. The rest of the squad will depend on the experience and expertise of these four senior players, ‘ he reasoned.
The strength of this team is in their collectivity. They play together as one and there is love among them. And that can give them a good advantage. But I don’t believe Nigeria will win the World Cup now. What I know is that they will progress one match at a time until they will get to where they can. I believe they will make progress but winning the trophy is another thing.”
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