Goals from Franculino Dju, Mama Balde, and Alvaro Djalo handed Eric Chelle’s men a historic win inside Estadio 24 de Setembro on Tuesday evening.
The result was the three-time Africa champions’ heaviest competitive defeat against African opposition since 1990, putting further pressure on the country’s side in their bid to reach the continental showpiece.
Aleshinloye believes the manner of the defeat was more worrying than the scoreline, pointing to Super Eagles players’ lack of urgency when the game began to slip away.
“Honestly, it wasn’t just the result that was concerning but the lack of control and response during the game,” Aleshinloye told Flashscore in an exclusive interview.
“From a coaching perspective, Nigeria looked uncomfortable when Guinea-Bissau disrupted their rhythm.
“There were moments where the team became stretched, the distances between units were too big, and the players struggled to regain control after losing possession.
“At that level, individually you can have a bad day, but the collective response must remain strong. It was just flat, no urgency or resilience to get something out of the game.
“For me, that points to a performance issue that goes beyond individual mistakes. It is about the team’s structure, mentality and ability to adapt during the game.”
Tactics, mentality and execution let Nigeria down
While acknowledging tactical shortcomings, the Sunderland-based tactician feels the players must also take responsibility for the performance.
Nigeria boast several players competing at a high level in European football, but Aleshinloye believes their individual quality was not reflected in Bissau.
“I wouldn’t say it all boils down to just one thing. For me, it’s usually a combination of tactics, mentality and execution,” he added.
“Nigeria has enough individual quality on paper. When the team loses 3-0, I would first look at whether the players clearly understood their roles and whether the tactical plan gave them a platform to perform.
“If the structure is right but the players aren’t executing, that’s another issue. If the players are trying to execute but the structure is exposing them, that points more towards the tactical side.
“And then there’s the mentality, particularly how the team responds when things aren’t going their way.
“As a coach, I’d want to look at that performance and ask if that starting XI individually gave their all yesterday. My answer is no.”
Defensive transitions a major concern
Coach Aleshinloye was particularly concerned by the Super Eagles’ defensive transitions and the amount of space between midfield and defence.
He also felt Chelle’s attacking players frequently received possession in areas where they struggled to trouble Guinea-Bissau.
“Defensively, the bigger concern was the transition moments,” he continued.
“When we were out of possession, the team sometimes looked too open, with gaps appearing between midfield and defence. Against a side that is willing to attack those spaces quickly, that can become a real problem.
“While in possession, our forwards were often receiving the ball in difficult situations rather than being found in positions where they could really hurt Guinea-Bissau.
“For Chelle, I think the immediate priorities are compactness, better progression of the ball and a stronger reaction after losing possession.
“I didn’t see that fight to win the ball back when we lost it. He needs to establish clear principles on who provides the width and how the team protects itself when attacks break down.”
'Chelle has to be ruthless'
Despite the damaging result, Aleshinloye maintains that Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2027 AFCON remain alive.
However, he warned that the Super Eagles can afford few further mistakes and suggested Chelle may need to make difficult decisions over his team selection.
“Our qualification campaign is very much alive, but the 3-0 defeat means there is much less room for another poor performance,” he said.
“Sometimes coaches have to be ruthless, take that difficult decision that gives you the best chance of winning.
“I’ll leave it at that, if you know what I mean.”
Nigeria host 2027 AFCON co-hosts Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on November 11 before travelling to Zanzibar City for the reverse fixture four days later.
The Super Eagles finished third at the last edition of Africa’s premier football competition after defeating Egypt in the third-place play-off.
