Cold light of day

...as reality hit in Uyo, here are 3 lessons Chelle would do well to learn

“I need you to… judge the situation dispassionately. I need to know that I can trust you, and that you know who to trust...”

— M (Casino Royale)

If Eric Chelle was under any illusions as to the sheer volume of work required to right the ship that is the Super Eagles, they were dispelled in brutal fashion on Tuesday. His team, so exultant in Kigali and on the verge of a hard-fought but deserved win in Uyo, were brought back down to earth in all-too-familiar fashion, Zimbabwe’s gut punch barely rousing a stadium that was somehow both packed and somnolent.

However, from that great thud, a few lessons can be gleaned by Chelle (quite apart from the impracticality of deploying a shirt in that shade of green in the heatwave – no, heat blanket – that seems to be smothering this flyblown country), who this time could not rely on the gambit of set-pieces to jumpstart his charges.

Prioritize the right one(s)

Most important of them is the importance of giving preference to the right component(s) in any given system. Much as every team is a collective holden up by the effort of all of its players, it is not a democracy: some animals are more equal than others, and to tell one kind from the other is wisdom indeed.

So, while it is one thing to deploy Samuel Chukwueze in a midfield role (return soon, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru but, also, how far has Joe Aribo fallen that he could not have taken this role on?), it is quite another to, on account of his predictable and evident discomfort in central areas, effectively retool the entire system for his benefit.

Here is the thing: with the same 11 that started the win against Rwanda, Nigeria began brightly against Zimbabwe, creating decent (and varied) chances and, in lieu of that, gaining territory and teasing decent interplay at the Warriors’ gates.

The one exception to this energetic start was Chukwueze who, for all the same reasons as have been touched on before, was simply not getting with the programme. And so, about 20 minutes in, a small tweak: from a 4-4-2 diamond, the Super Eagles shifted to a 4-2-3-1 in possession, not only allowing the AC Milan man to hold a wider position, but also inverting Bright-Osayi Samuel in order to open the passing lane to him.

This accommodation significantly impacted the quality of Nigeria’s chance creation. For one thing, it robbed them of the numerical advantage in the middle to break Zimbabwe down with high-tempo passing and movement. Also, it made the team’s attacking one-dimensional, and as cross after cross was slung in, Victor Osimhen found himself outnumbered inside the penalty area.

What’s worse, the tweak was only active in possession and attacking phases; without the ball, the team still reverted to a diamond in midfield, which rendered an unintended defensive benefit of the alteration moot.

Zimbabwe had carried a threat in the expected fashion up against Chelle’s preferred system, switching the play frequently and playing angled through balls in behind the Super Eagles defence that Chukwueze, short on midfield instincts, was inadequately positioned to cover. A proper 4-2-3-1 resolving to a 4-4-2 out of possession would have seen a midfield double pivot properly close up that passing lane. Instead, Nigeria were stuck with all the risk of a midfield diamond, but without any of the attacking upside.

Quite the accommodation for a player who, at the best times, is far from inevitable even in his best position…

Kill your darlings

Having sat through a decade of permanent managers mostly looking back upon putting their hands to the plough, one of the more exciting aspects of Chelle’s appointment was the fact that he was, by his own admission, a fan of the riches on offer with the Super Eagles.

Familiarity breeds contempt. Even though the defenestration of Gernot Rohr was both rude and poorly timed in the utmost, by the end staleness had undoubtedly set in. The less said about Jose Peseiro, the better; in my mind, the one good thing to come out of his time in charge was that it made clear this crop of Nigeria internationals is neither poor nor uncommitted. To assimilate and execute a new structure and strategy during a tournament was proof positive of their intelligence and application. And yes, I do remember he reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

However, in falling in love, Chelle must be careful not to fall too far. As with all things, balance is required, and achieving that will force some tough decisions.

Chukwueze has been touched on in terms of platforming the right individuals, but here he features too, as does Moses Simon in the attacking sector. The Nantes man largely performed well over both matches, but it must be clear to the coach now that half-measures will simply not cut it: his ‘diamond’ is too particular to make do. Select the correct profiles, even at the expense of star power, and go all-in.

That means deploying Ademola Lookman upfront where he belongs, alongside Osimhen; finding a proper midfielder to satisfy the demands of the right side of the diamond; and electing a number ten with the 360-degree vision, fast-twitch muscles and timing to play in the hole.

It also means, rather painfully, that William Troost-Ekong needs to be phased out of the team.

As has been clear since his post-AFCON return to the team, that Herculean run in Cote d’Ivoire now looks more and more like the last stand, Samson in the house of the Philistines, eyes empty but for impassioned tears, summoning one final feat of strength to smite the enemy. A great leader he has been and probably still is but, on the evidence of ever-worsening displays, Chelle has to reach a decision: his dereliction in the face of the advancing Tawanda Chirewa was unbecoming of any defender, let alone the captain of the side. The performance in Uyo was everything brought to a head: timorousness, fading positional and situational awareness, lack of timing and decisiveness.

It was not a one-off, either.

Keep your head

At the risk of overstating it, late heartbreak does seem to dog Chelle.

The incident with which he is most commonly associated is, of course, that elimination at the hands of Cote d’Ivoire at the last AFCON (in which his Mali conceded late in both regulation and extra time) and the infamous reaction that followed it. However, something similar happened in World Cup qualifying against Ghana, as the Eagles, though the better side, gave up two second-half goals, including a 94th-minute winner, to lose to the Black Stars. A week later, Chelle was sacked.

It would be quite uncharitable to ascribe all blame to the coach’s disposition. That said, it is evident that the 47-year-old is of an emotional bent. One has only to witness him down on his knees on the hour-mark, his recriminations from that supplicating position, and the speed with which his shirt soaked through as the match progressed to know this.

There is nothing wrong with living the game, of course. When that bleeds into and affects your decision-making, however, it becomes a problem. Especially when it clouds reason to the point that, a goal up with only three regulation minutes of a must-win game to play, you are focused on getting a second goal – against an opponent that has called your goalkeeper into action repeatedly and even hit the crossbar – rather than shoring up your midfield and/or defence and controlling the game for the remainder.

That, contrary to his protestations afterward, made not a lick of sense, and may already have rendered his brief impossible. However, as long as there remains mathematical hope (and it now looks like Super Eagles fans everywhere have SAFA to thank for dropping a turd), he will remain in state; if he does not learn to keep a cool head without ablution, however, it will not be for much longer, lifeline regardless.