Super Eagles legend Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has shared his thoughts on Nigeria’s World Cup prospects, noting that their inability to be clinical in front of goal is a concern but remains hopeful that the team can still secure qualification for the tournament.
The Super Eagles currently sit fourth in their group with seven points, six points behind leaders South Africa and one point behind Rwanda and Benin who are second and third respectively.
Nigeria’s current position is disappointing, not just because of the risk of missing out on a second consecutive World Cup, but also due to the caliber of talent in the squad including Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen, reigning African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman, Ligue 1’s joint top assist provider Moses Simon, along with Ola Aina and Alex Iwobi, both nominees for the EA FC Premier League Team of the Season.
In an interview with Oma Akatugba, Okocha emphasised that Nigeria’s star-studded team is committed, but admitted that it’s challenging to pinpoint exactly what the issue is: “It is a difficult question because I wish we all know what the problem is. It’s hard for us to believe that we’re not running away with it based on how our players are playing in their various clubs. Most of them are starters now not that they’re not regular players.”
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“It seems that they’re not consistent enough when it comes to the national team and even I struggle to say what the problem might be. I can’t say that they’re not committed, they’re committed.”
However, Okocha pointed out the team’s lack of ruthlessness during matches, suggesting that they could secure more victories if they made better use of their scoring opportunities.
“They’re giving their best but sometimes it seems like they do not click. In my opinion, they play well but they’re not ruthless enough, they’re not converting their chances which might be our biggest problem because if we score even half of the chances that we create, I have no doubt that we would have won more matches than we’ve done so far.”
Okocha voiced optimism about Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup, stressing that the players are dedicated and fully aware of the importance of securing a spot in the tournament.
“I’m still hopeful because our mentality is that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. I’m not in doubt that the players are committed and they know that they need to go to the World Cup. We all will be disappointed if we don’t qualify, especially with the squad that we have.”
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