With the Super Eagles of Nigeria playing against Libya on Tuesday, the question begs that would the Eagles have got this far if midfielder Ogenyi Oanzi wasn’t ruled out of the first leg thumping of the Mediterranean Knights in Uyo?
The loss of Onazi due to an Achilles issue on Thursday led to serious doubts about how the Super Eagles.
Eagles responded with a 4-0 demolition of Libya and there is a real belief that they can go all the way and complete a double delight with another victory in Sfax on Tuesday.
One of the main reasons behind the Nigeria’s success is due to Gernot Rohr’s tactical nous, shown by the change in system from 4-2-1-3 to a 4-1-2-3. This change in fact came about because of the absence of Onazi.
Firstly you have to look at whether with a more defensive 4-2-1-3 system and with Onazi involved, would they have beaten Libya easily.
In all honesty I think they would have, Wilfred Ndidi and Onazi would have been breaking up the play and adding sufficient cover to the backline, also just because they would of been playing with a 4-2-1-3 doesn’t mean they would approach the game in a different manner.
What I mean by this is that the Eagles would have still looked to soak up pressure and play on the counter, and suspecting Libya would have played narrow and direct as they did in the actual game, Onazi and co. would have coped just fine in nullifying the threats that Libya had to offer.
The Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo and Alex Iwobi coped and helped themselves, something that has been lacking in the Eagles team for sometime now.
Overall it is difficult to measure how damaging/rewarding the loss of Onazi was.
You cannot undermine the skill of the former SS Lazio star and his ability to command the midfield area, linking defence to attack in a free-flowing transition, he would have given the Eagles much needed presence in that area.
So based on the above mentioned points, I feel that Onazi’s injury was a blessing in disguise.
