The Worrisome Super Eagles’ Goalkeeper Dilemma Ahead of 2023 AFCON

Some Pundits are of the view that Nigeria’s Super Eagles is heading for another shameful outing at the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire after Coach Jose Peseiro who was hired with the mien of a lower version of the revered former Chelsea and Real Madrid Gaffer, Jose Mourinho.

Peseiro, another Coach that if not for closeness with Mourinho, would probably been called another Specialist in Failure by the current Roma Boss.

When you think about a Coach that is an underachiever in the football business, the 63-Year-Old readily comes to mind.

Sometimes his fault due to poor technical and tactical prowess, while other times his underachievement is as a result of circumstances beyond him.

The Portuguese has decided to make the job of soothsayers, seers and popular prophets easy as Nigeria’s fate at the AFCON is sealed considering the choice of sticking to Francis Uzoho, whose ‘heroics’ between the goalpost reminds you of the reasons the English football fans nicknamed former Three Lions Goalkeeper David James as ‘James Calamity’.

It is evident that no matter the amount of red flags we see from the Apoel Nicosia goalkeeper, the Nigerian football fans sadness is poised for more heartbreak and gloomy days.

Since the unceremoniously exit of legendary Vincent Enyeama from the national team, there was a bit of stability with Carl Ikeme to the rescue but fate had other plans for Nigeria as the former Wolverhampton Wanderers Safe Hands was forced into early retirement when he was hit by cancer of the blood, leukemia, which thanks be to God he survived.

The number one goalkeeping position has exchanged hands from one keeper to another just like a child in the foster care, but this time there has never been a happy ending.

There have been desperate calls for Peseiro to test other Nigerian goalkeepers both home and abroad, but like a dog bound to get lost in the forest which fails to listen to the whistling of his master, the Coach and his team have decided to stick with Uzoho.

Some will say football is a team sport, your argument is far from wrong. But the goalkeeping department should have a Keeper that players can bank on when the chips are down and not the one that fellow teammates will give a ‘Shaking My Head’ gaze when he lets out another ‘fumbling and wobbling’ from the plethora in his locker.

Daniel Akpeyi poor display was adduced for the Super Eagles conceding that heartbreaking free which was dispatched easily by Riyad Mahrez at the 2019 AFCON, while some fans and followers of the team blamed Maduka Okoye for not doing enough in the game against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, which culminated into Nigeria’s ouster from the second round stage of the 2021 edition .

The die is cast, considering the apathy Peseiro has shown towards Nigeria Professional Football League players, it is a fiat accompli on the destiny of Uzoho minding the goalpost from January 14th.

Only if something ‘miraculous’ happens will another goalkeeper take over the post, but until then, fellow long-suffering and die-hard Super Eagles fans, please brace up for moments of heart break in Cote d’ivoire.

©️Ossy Ugwu
Middlesbrough, England