The Moses Mystery
Why do some players simply not cut it at international level?
Why won’t it just fit?
If you have ever pored over an installation manual, then you know the feeling. Here is this piece of machinery you have purchased, at great expense, yet it continues to confound all attempts at assembly. The manual tells you all the parts are laid out in front of you, but you shake the box just to be sure.
Yes, it is all here.
The instructions seem reasonable enough. So you start to wonder at your own aptitude. You might even question your ability to read, or curse your unusually sweaty palms. Vigorous wipe on your shorts. Try again. No dice. OK, maybe try to look at it from a different angle…
We’ve all been there at some point. Or maybe I’m just projecting?
Anyway, it is one of football’s enduring mysteries – things not fitting as they should. Data and analytics have taken scouting to whole new lengths of efficiency. But sometimes all the numbers in the world, even backed by informed eye tests, will lead to a transfer that, while sensible on the surface, does not quite click.
That’s natural enough. There are far too many under-the-hood factors that play a part in how a player integrates into a squad. With the best will in the world, the heart of man is a murky depth. However, with sufficient due diligence, it is possible to mitigate failure to a large degree.
Sometimes though, there really is not a lot to do for it. It is simply the hand dealt.
International football may increasingly be considered the ugly stepsister of the glitzy, glamorous club game, but the manner in which it is spoken of belies the common conception of it as inferior. It is not uncommon to hear it said that a player simply cannot handle the pressure of heightened expectation; in the same vein, clubs themselves place a great deal of stock in players’ performances for their national sides.
While there is certainly an element of psychology to the struggles certain players have while representing their countries, is it entirely fair to reduce the conversation to simply that?
Is it really the best explanation we can reach for why a player like Moses Simon, arguably Nigeria’s most effective winger, has struggled to convince with the national team?
Despite being one of the top creators in Europe’s top five leagues, the Nantes man is never really thought of as a mainstay within the national team. While some of that is to do with a difficulty of categorization – at least relative to his competitors with the Super Eagles – it is certainly true that Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has not consistently seen his best form.
Since this statistical dump I did on the German’s tenure last year, Simon has not raised either his goals or assists tally in green and white. This is odder when you realize the same period of time has coincided with sterling form at club level. This season, he is putting up numbers comparable to the very best at the highest levels of European football, so we can quickly see it is not a question of quality. This is no Benedict Akwuegbu.
What gives then?
A disparity between performance levels from club to country is quite common with African players. Aside the significantly reduced quality of playing surfaces and a training schedule necessarily optimized for recovery, a key factor is the difference in roles assigned.
Take midfielders, for example. European clubs have tended to prioritize disruptors and ball winners from out of Africa, and I have argued previously this is simply a matter of meeting demand: you import what you cannot produce. So, even outstanding creative midfielders from the continent will often find that, instead of continuing their development in the same mould, they need to adapt to more restrictive roles in order to be relevant in Europe.
The upshot of this is a disconnect when they return to play for their national teams, as they are expected to inhabit their former expansive roles. An obvious example here is John Mikel Obi, but he is far from unique in that respect. Ghana for instance persist in fielding Thomas Partey, an outstanding midfield screen and distributor, as almost a second striker on occasion.
The irony in Simon’s case is that the dynamic is somewhat reversed.
In Nigeria’s most recent outing against Cape Verde, it was instructive that Simon was tasked with tracking the opposing wing-back all the way into the Super Eagles’ defensive third. This made attacking transitions difficult, but also marked a significant departure from his deployment at Nantes. While he discharges his fair share of defensive duties within the Nantes system, he is nevertheless allowed to focus on creating avenues to attack the full-back.
So, it is with Nigeria that he is his less expressive self, and Cape Verde was by no means a one-off situation. In fact, earlier in Rohr’s tenure, Simon fulfilled a pivotal function providing protection for Shehu Abdullahi at right-back, and was often preferred in the team on that basis alone. There have also been periods when Simon has been deployed as a wing-back, and he is always a consideration for the role whenever a change of system is mooted.
Playing a far more defensive role for the national team partly explains the disparity between his club and international form. However, there is also a difference between his standing at Nantes and Nigeria.
With the Canaries he is the first name on the team sheet for Antoine Kombouare, and retains the implicit trust of the manager. “He knows that we need him, that he is important in this team,” the former Paris Saint-Germain boss says. “He feels strong, he has a big heart and he is a boy who likes responsibilities.” In this atmosphere of mutual appreciation, the Jos-born winger flourishes.
The contrast with the national team is a stark one. A source close to the team suggests Rohr is given to hyper-scrutinizing Simon’s performances, and will often dress him down in front of the rest of the team, calling out the slightest missteps and labelling them terminal. So vehement is the criticism, in fact, that often the player himself is unsure precisely what is expected of him.
It is easy to see how, in this atmosphere of uncertainty, the 26-year-old plays within himself, unable to pull off the same movements he performs effortlessly at club level.
Unfortunately for a player of his talent and productivity, it appears we may never see him at his best for Nigeria.
Thank you for reading Chaos Digest. If you enjoyed this post, do consider subscribing to receive subsequent newsletters in your email.
Bros, nice write up..valid points