AFCON Qualifiers: Rating Peseiro's Super Eagles 23-Man Squad over 10

AFCON Qualifiers: Rating Peseiro's Super Eagles 23-Man Squad over 10

By Gbenga Gboyega

Head coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria - Jose Peseiro, released his 23-man squad list for the AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone, and Sao Tome & Principe this month.

The list caught the attention of BSNSports.com.ng due to its mixed marshmallows of home-based, foreign-based, and age-grade youngsters, across the board.

For instance, the goalkeeping department consists of Adebayo Adeleye of Hapoel Jerusalem, who kept for the U-17 Golden Eaglets team in 2017, currently playing in the Israeli Ligat ha'Al, and gaining an invite.

There is Victor Sochima of Rivers United who's currently bidding for the NPL title for 2023 and has conceded fewer goals (20) than games played (21) so far while keeping 10 clean sheets.

And Olorunleke Ojo of Enyimba, who was a part of the U-20 Flying Eagles winning team in Senegal in 2015, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, and is poised to retain the NPL title in record-setting fashion with his club.

The midfield department is no different, with a mix of established professionals like Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester and Alex Iwobi of Everton who are foreign-based, and newly invited Divine Nwachukwu of Bendel Insurance who is home-based.

Divine, a 20-year-old, joined the Benin Arsenal from Adoration FC Academy in September 2022, while the team played in the Nationwide National League, as Bendel Insurance gained promotion to the top tier for the 2023 season.

And in 22 games so far, Divine contributed immensely to Bendel's unbeaten run up until the loss against Rivers United in the Super Six playoffs, and their topping of Group A during the regular season.

He scored four goals while providing five assists for his club, and has caught the eye of Jose Peseiro who was in attendance at the Onikan stadium in Lagos to witness the championship playoffs.

Divine has also played his part internationally for Nigeria, featuring in age-grade football as he bagged six caps for the U-17 Golden Eaglets team in 2019, while featuring in the AFCON and World Cup competitions that same year.

He featured predominantly as a holding midfielder, however, his only goal for the Eaglets came in an international friendly win against Turkey.

The same cannot be said for Wilfred Ndidi and Brentford's Frank Onyeka in the middle of the pack, both of whom have struggled for game time for their respective clubs.

The attacking line-up remains the same, with the regular top guns in the mold of Scuddetto winners forward - Victor Osimhen of Napoli, the 2023 best players for Atalanta and Leicester City respectively - Ademola Lookman and Kelechi Iheanacho, amongst others.

The defense remains decent for the time being, with statistics showing that the team does not concede lots of goals, only doing so twice so far in the AFCON qualifying series.

BSNSports.com.ng rates Peseiro's squad list 6.5 over 10, due to the crippling midfield options, albeit in-form forwards, and a decent defense, with a brand new goalkeeping line-up between the goal posts.