Lesotho vs Nigeria: The Super Eagles have bigger problems as Chelle struggles again 

Nigeria’s Super Eagles kept their faint World Cup qualification hopes alive as they struggled to beat Lesotho 2-1 in their clash on Friday evening. 

The Super Eagles knew they needed to win going into the game, and they did just that. Goals from William Troost-Ekong and Akor Adams were enough to give Eric Chelle’s men the win, despite Lesotho’s late goal. 

However, the win was not pretty, highlighting some of the issues that have plagued the team in recent years. 

Having said that, here are some of the things we learnt from the game.

Eric Chelle once again proved that he did not learn anything from the last two games against Rwanda and South Africa. 

Chelle decided to start Victor Osimhen and Tolu Arokodare upfront, with Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon providing support from the wings. 

The Malian tactician also decided to stick with Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi as his two midfielders. While that was not even a major issue, the Super Eagles once again failed to use their width.

The duo of Lookman and Simon failed to offer quality services for Osimhen and Arokodare despite their aerial threat. 

It meant the Super Eagles had to play narrowly for most parts of the first half, which hampered the movements of Osimhen and Arokodare. 

Also, the idea behind playing a front two is for one to play off the other. However, Osimhen and Arokodare were never in sync in the first half. 

The idea behind this decision never made any sense, and it certainly did not help Chelle’s cause as manager. 

Let’s even forget about tactics for a moment. The Super Eagles have a problem that dates back to the final months of Gernot Rohr’s tenure. 

The team has gone through a host of managerial changes after the German left, yet the fundamental problems still exist. 

The three-time African champions have never looked like a team that could do the basics, even though they reached the final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Right now, the Super Eagles have talented individuals who have been unable to function as a team. 

The Super Eagles are now at the stage where they struggle to beat teams they are expected to beat. 

During this qualifying campaign, they dropped points twice against Zimbabwe and once against Lesotho. 

Before this qualifying campaign, they had lost to Rwanda and the Central African Republic at home. 

This series of results suggests that there is something fundamentally wrong with the Super Eagles. 

Benjamin Fredrick once again showed that his performances in the September qualifiers were not a fluke. 

The youngster balled out against South Africa, in what was his first start for Nigeria. If there had been any doubts about whether he would be able to back up his performance, he cleared those doubts with another assured display. 

Frederick, who plays as a centre-back, started at right-back in the absence of Ola Aina. While he might have been excused if he had put up a poor display, the 20-year-old looked assured in the role. 

He never put a foot wrong and was brilliant defensively. Although he could have done better going forward, he still put in decent crosses in the first half. 

This might be just his second start for the Super Eagles, but Fredrick has shown that he is here to stay. 

Adams came on to make his bow for Arokodare in the second half, and he took that opportunity well. 

The Sevilla man came into this match in good form, and he continued in the same vein, as he scored the all-important winner. 

He took his goal well, beating his marker with a brilliant skill before firing in a left-footed finish past the goalkeeper. 

While it is just his first game, Adams might have played himself into contention going into the final match against Benin. 

Although Arokodare also impressed in the 1-0 win over Rwanda, he showed that he might not be the perfect partner for Osimhen if Chelle insists on playing a front two against Benin. 

Adams’ cameo showed that he might actually be the perfect partner for Osimhen upfront for the game against Benin, and that could sway Chelle’s decision. 

The game against Benin is the most important game the Super Eagles will play in years, but they cannot afford a repeat of today’s performance. 

The players need to be on Rohr’s men from the start, as they need to beat the Squirrels by a two-goal margin to stand a chance of qualifying. 

While that might not even be enough, as they need South Africa to drop points against Rwanda, the Super Eagles still need to do their job.