It’s been a bumpy ride so far at the AFCON for the majority of the giants. Algeria and Ghana are already out of the competition, Egypt qualified without winning a game, and hosts Ivory Coast needed Morocco to do them a favour to go through as one of the best third-placed teams.
It’s been an erratic tournament and there’s a lot more football on the way.
Despite the upsets, Nigeria was one of six teams to amass at least seven points in the group stages. Bonfrere still believes there are areas the Super Eagles must improve on to stand a chance.
“I have seen Nigeria. They didn’t play well but at least they qualified for the next round. I have seen the team lack cohesion. Scoring goals is not so good. Nigeria are playing too slow and for the attackers they have, they should be creating more chances,” he told Flashscore in an exclusive interview.
Up next for Nigeria is familiar foes Cameroon, who they face in the round of 16 stage. This long-standing rivalry dates back to 2000 when the Indomitable Lions shocked the Super Eagles in Lagos in the AFCON final.
Since then the five-time winners have struggled against Nigeria failing to pick a win in the last three meetings. Both sides clashed in the round of 16 stage of the 2019 AFCON with Alex Iwobi scoring the winner in a five-goal thriller. Though Nigeria has dominated the fixture, Bonfrere is wary of the qualities of Rigobert Song’s side.
“There are two possibilities from Cameroon. From what I remember, Cameroon plays with a lot of power in the games. They run, play very strong, and mark very close. What I have seen in this tournament, they’re trying to play technically and that’s not the Cameroon we know from many years ago.
“If Cameroon plays the same way they’ve played this tournament, then Nigeria should win it. However, if Cameroon uses its strength and plays with power, it will be very difficult for Nigeria to win the game. Every attack from Cameroon can be dangerous because they have attackers who are strong in the air. Nigeria’s attack is not scoring many goals so that could be problematic,” he added.
Cameroon are rejuvenated after staring in the eyes of elimination and scoring two late goals against Gambia to make it this far. Momentum is on their side especially as they welcome back their talisman Vincent Aboubakar, who missed the group stages due to injury.
The striker was instrumental in the last AFCON, finishing as top scorer with eight goals. The coach believes Aboubakar can’t do all the work alone.
“Aboubakar is a good player for Cameroon. He will need the support from the players so he gets the supply. And when he gets the ball he will need his teammates to join him to offer support.”
In the opposite corner of Nigeria is Victor Osimhen. The Napoli striker has divided opinion with his performances in Ivory Coast so far. He was touted to be one of the best players in the tournament but the 25-year-old has just one goal to show for.
It hasn’t been a case of Osimhen not receiving service as he has missed the most big chances (5) in the tournament so far. The finishing of the reigning CAF Player of the Year has been poor as his expected goals (xG) underperformance is the worst at this year’s AFCON.
These are not statistics you usually hear when talking about Osimhen but Bonfrere reveals sometimes all key players who are underperforming need some confidence.
“If a player is not in good shape, you must find out why as a coach. You must talk to the player and give him the confidence. You don’t build up a team by dropping players. In tournaments it’s important to constantly communicate with your players.
“Maybe the coach needs to specifically train with him. If Osimhen likes to dribble or shoot in training, let him do that to build his confidence. Now isn’t the time to cast away your key players who aren’t performing well. Let him be himself and Osimhen will return to his good form,” he added.
Since losing the 2000 AFCON final under Bonfrere, Nigeria has finished third five times and gone on to win the trophy against all odds in 2013. The official 2023 AFCON song for the Super Eagles has been “Let’s Do It Again” being repeated several times in the hook. The aim is to take the trophy back to Lagos. Bonfrere believes it’s possible but the team must improve in several areas.
“Nigeria can go very far but they must first beat Cameroon because this a strong team. Nigeria hasn’t played well so far but maybe they can come together and decide they want to do better. The attitude has to improve and they need to believe. The attack also has to be sharper.”
Jose Peseiro’s men have come this far without the attack clicking. Imagine how the team can be once they start putting their chances away. To give an idea of how poor Nigeria’s attack has been; the Super Eagles have created the most chances (13) and big chances (11) but have only scored three goals so far.
