Former Super Eagles forward, Benedict Akwuegbu, has cautioned Nigeria’s coaching staff against placing all their attacking hopes on Victor Osimhen at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Nigeria, three-time AFCON winners, begin their Group C campaign today against Tanzania, with further fixtures against Tunisia and Uganda still to come as they target a strong start to the tournament.
In an interview with Footy Africa, Akwuegbu voiced confidence in the Super Eagles’ ability to go far but stressed the need for a more flexible tactical approach from head coach Eric Chelle.
He warned that an over-reliance on Osimhen could hurt the team, especially against opponents who are now well prepared to neutralise Nigeria’s main attacking threats.
“I’m optimistic that the team will excel; we just need to keep hope alive. We must continue to support the NFF and the entire team. We have the players and the quality needed to win the tournament.”
“My only advice to the coach is to adopt more varied tactics and a different style of play. The team currently relies too heavily on Osimhen, and whenever he doesn’t play or score, the team tends to struggle. Many countries are now familiar with our approach and will focus on marking Osimhen and Lookman out of the game.
“It’s important for the coach to develop a system in which goals can come from any player and where there are multiple match winners, as this is an area the team currently lacks.”
Akwuegbu concluded that spreading responsibility across the squad and creating multiple goal threats would make the Super Eagles harder to contain and improve their chances of lifting the trophy in Morocco.
