DOptical:



I hope the boy is brought into the super eagles before other countries steal am, like Saka, Alaba etc.

Nigeria team lacks a holding midfielder and the boy is rated as one of the top midfield youngsters with the top ball recoveries. He's also quite technical.

TheSuperNerd:
I rate Tijani but please he is currently below lads like Raphael Onyedika and Alhassan Yusuf technically and otherwise in the holding midfield profile role.

So you are dead wrong to say the Nigerian team doesn't have a holding midfielder.

komekn:


He is 21 and playing in the Austrian Bundesliga and has been for 4 seasons.

If he is so well rated according to you what is he doing playing in the Australia league rated 13 in Europe.

Will my question ❓ be considered HATE.

DOptical:


Didn't they play against the Mali midfield that disgraced Nigeria midfield?

Isn't Alhasan more of a defensive 8?

All I know is the Nigeria team needs a holding midfielder. It was noticed at the Afcon.

Samueltemi337:
Someone that's not even a starter in his club

TheSuperNerd:
He started their last 2 games. And has 22 starts in 29 league games.

Don't quote me yapping rubbish misinformation.

DOptical:


Isn't Alhasan more of a defensive 8?

Didn't they all play against the Mali midfield which disgraced Nigeria midfield?

All I know is the Nigeria team needs a holding midfielder. It was noticed at the Afcon.

Samueltemi337:
And how has he excelled?

TheSuperNerd:
Did you watch Alhassan at the Afcon at all?? Vs Equatorial Guinea and against SA?

Alhassan is a forward thinking midfielder adept in the CM and CDM roles. Performs his defensive duties but also loves to deliver vertical linesbreaking passes.


And Raphael Onyedika is the best holding midfielder profile we have in Europe today.

Samson Tijani doesn't come close.... just yet.

TheSuperNerd:
It is Rabiu Ali. Olodo. Not Rabiu Ibrahim.

DOptical:


Didn't they all play against the Mali midfield which disgraced Nigeria midfield? Isn't Alhasan more of a defensive 8?

All I know is the Nigeria team needs a holding midfielder. It was noticed at the Afcon and against Mali. Even Ghana almost defeated the team despite being one man down.

DOptical:


I watched the Afcon and even some of the matches before the Afcon. Thus the reason why I noted that Alhasan looked more like a defensive 8. He and Onyedika played in the 2-0 loss against Guinea before the Afcon match and the midfield weren't as good. Onyedika was dropped alongside several players before the starting match against Equitorial Guinea.. Alhasan was his usual Hustle and bustle style like a typical 8 in that match (not the holding midfielder) like he wasn't the holding midfielder against Guinea before the afcon hence I saw him as a 8 however, In the subsequent matches, he wasn't as good even as a 8.

Anyways, the midfield problem continued against Ghana and was even worsened against Mali.

mostob:
Man is just trying to save face. I thought you should know that.

You quoted a post mentioning Rabiu Ali and 43 years old only to turn around and say na Rabiu Ibrahim (33 years old) you mean.

mostob:
What is the difference between a defensive 8 and a holding midfielder? Can you give an example please

DOptical:


Defensive 8 are more like box to box but are rather defensive, not offensive.


Holding midfielder have got more awareness than defensive 8 who just strut around tackling. Example of holding midfielders are Bissouma, mancity's Rodri, Declan Rice etc, although Rice can also play the defensive 8.

TheSuperNerd:

You are making a funny case for Tijani.

Did you watch Onyedika in midfield alongside Onyeka vs Mozambique?

Did you take note of Alhassan's Positioning vs Equatorial Guinea? He wasn't outrightly playing 8. He double pivoted with Onyeka and just happened to get forward more often than onyeka did in that game.

Now, Tijani can't bench Yusuf in that role and can't bench Onyedika. I have not even mentioned the two big guns of the midfield Onyeka and Ndidi.

My brother, no chance for Tijani now except he massively steps up. The holding midfield role is not empty. We have Onyedika and Yusuf there as naturals.

TheSuperNerd:
By your example/expatiation, Onyeka is your defensive 8.
Yusuf's got a wider range of traits not limited to that role but which extends to the Holding midfield role. His early days at Antwerp gives a super clear picture. Yusuf ran things from that holding midfield position.

DOptical:


The fact that Onyeka is a defensive 8 should make Alhasan play as a holding midfielder yet it was Onyeka playing as a holding midfielder and he wasn't good at such role because he's not a holding midfielder.

DOptical:


I spoke on what I saw.

If super eagles team wanna improve, the team need to improve the midfield. It's that simple. As a matter of fact, if the coach hadn't improved the team with several players in the first afcon match, the team would have been disgraced like the 2-0 loss against guinea. We all know the midfield need an improvement as seen before the afcon in the 2-0 loss against guinea, at the afcon and after the afcon against Mali etc. The midfield need an improvement if the team wanna do well at the world cup which is even more serious than the afcon.

On Tijani, I'm only speaking on his ability. He's one of the midfield youngsters rated with top ball recoveries and he did look good against inter who are a decent team at least, considering inter just won the serie a.

TheSuperNerd:
Onyeka hardly sat at the base. He was found there in certain phases of the game with Alhassan on the pitch also reverting between deeper and advanced positions (their heat maps show such) but he is no natural 6 and doesn't have the tactical positional discipline to play that role.

Even when Jpes went 3-4-3, it was Onyeka venturing forward even more than Iwobi. Iwobi stayed deeper as some sort of Deep lying playmaker (not a natural in the role so Iwobi somewhat was outshone in midfield by onyeka at the afcon).

So Onyeka is your perfect description of the defensive 8.

DOptical:


I spoke on what I saw.

If super eagles team wanna improve, the team need to improve the midfield. It's that simple. As a matter of fact, if the coach hadn't improved the team with several players in the first afcon match, the team would have been disgraced like the 2-0 loss against guinea. We all know the midfield need an improvement as seen before the afcon in the 2-0 loss against guinea, at the afcon and after the afcon against Mali etc. The midfield need an improvement if the team wanna do well at the world cup which is even more serious than the afcon.

On Tijani, I'm only speaking on his ability. He's one of the midfield youngsters rated with top ball recoveries and he did look good against inter who are a decent team at least, considering inter just won the serie a.

DOptical:



I have already stated that Onyeka is no holding midfielder but a defensive 8 however he was the one playing the holding midfield role while Alhasan constantly combed forward like box to box. Both Alhasan and Onyeka are defensive 8 thus comb around. Iwobi is no central midfielder but a 10 or a forward but since he tries to get on the ball, he moves deep at times even though he doesn't screen the midfield like a typical holding midfielder. I recall Aribo who's also a 8, (an offensive one, although defensively solid too) moving deeper to screen the midfield in front of the defence against Guinea Bissau since he recognizes that Onyeka combs like a 8.

TheSuperNerd:
Yes, we need to improve the midfield. This entire thread will testify that I have harped so much on that more than anyone here and way more than you are doing right now.

And in truth, Samson Tijani is not that guy just yet. What he brings isn't on par with what Yusuf and Onyedika brings right now.

Unlike Nwakali, Tijani's skillset is already in the Super Eagles and those with it are of a higher grade for the mean time.

DOptical:



I have already seen what the midfield offered against Guinea, in the afcon and after the afcon against Mali. Even against 10 men Ghana! Abeg.

TheSuperNerd:
You are only repeating yourself and what I have explained.

The whole point is Onyeka is not one to sit as a 6. And Tijani is not the guy to be mentioned at the moment when talking about improving our midfield plays.

TheSuperNerd:
Kelechi Nwakali has created 47 chances across 22 starts for Chaves. More chances created than Joao Moutinho of Sporting Braga, Pepe (not the CB) of Porto, Orkun Kokcu of Benfica, Trincao of Sporting Lisbon and David Neres of Benfica.

Enough said.


Cc TheGoodJoe, those two names might interest you.

DOptical:


Tijani is a midfield talent who's doing quite well and should be looked at. Point is the team lack a holding midfielder. I hope he's not snapped up by other national team like Alaba.

TheGoodJoe:


Been a fan of Joao Moutinho since his young days at Lisbon and Porto. Even a member of the dominating Monaco team that had Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Falcao, Benjamin Mendy, Lemar and Bakayoko.

Don't know much about Orkun Kokcu. Enlighten me on what I am missing.