Stephen Keshi ’s stint with the Super Eagles has frequently lurched from absurd to inspired, and back again. It therefore is no surprise to see the composition of the maiden squad of his second coming – the foreign-based contingent that is.
This list of 15 was revealed on Sunday evening, and will join up with their Nigeria Professional Football League counterparts in camping for the Afcon 2017 Qualifier against Chad.
There is a lot to be gleaned from this list, especially considering (seemingly) arbitrary personnel decisions were the bane of his first stint in charge. For every Michael Babatunde and Sunday Mba, there was a Michael Uchebo, a Nosa Igiebor, a Ramon Azeez; this lent an air of potluck to Keshi’s successes – if you have enough knives in your hand, you are bound to cut something.
On the evidence of this list though, very little has changed.
The most high-profile omission is of Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, only this last weekend won another Premier League title. There really is not much to carp about on that front: Mikel has struggled for both form and fitness this year, and is hardly the sort of consistent performer on the international stage for whom an exception can be made.
The question then is: if this is the criterion on which Mikel has been left out, how is a player like Ogenyi Onazi included?
The Lazio man has made 18 appearances (nine as starts) for Lazio this term, but has served the Rome club better by staying out of the way mostly. He has also lost his place as the go-to option in the event of injury or suspension, usurped by 20-year-old prospect Danilo Cataldi. His form with the national side has also suffered – Onazi has looked half the player since Blaise Matuidi ended his World Cup in Brazil.
For that matter, how to justify the central defensive pairing of Godfrey Oboabona and Kenneth Omeruo? Since the Big Boss stumbled upon the pairing in the second game of the 2013 Afcon, these two have been virtually undroppable.
While the virtue of familiarity in defence is clear, neither of these two have played a good game for the national team in ages. Both are also bench players in such 'elite' clubs as Caykur Rizespor and Middlesbrough.
Some have argued the pickings are slim in Europe for Nigerian centre-backs; I say why pick for the sake of it then? This list is intended to augment the home-based call-ups, which includes the NPFL’s best defenders. In terms of form and fitness, they are clearly ahead, so play them.
This lack of coherence is also evident in the omissions as well. Aaron Samuel has quickly endeared himself to the public for his knack of the impact goal while not playing especially well. If his limitations could be overlooked on the grounds of lack of alternatives then, what about now with Emem Eduok and Osaguona Ighodaro in sparkling form in North Africa? The former in particular is a superb footballer, and would be an upgrade on the China-based blunt instrument. Ighodaro struck five times in six games in the CAF Champions League until his Raja Casablanca side were eliminated from the competition.
Most surprising is the call-up of Rabiu Ibrahim. The former U-17 world champion, whose style and ability evoked comparisons with wizard midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha, has struggled to fulfil his immense promise due to a spate of unfortunate injuries. After failed stints at former European champions Celtic and PSV Eindhoven, it is at Slovakian club Trencin that he has found a home.
After a relatively injury-free season, his first in a long while, he has been rewarded with an invitation to the Super Eagles. Whichever way you look at it, it feels wrong. Rabiu has hardly stood out - four goals and one assist in 17 appearances, and only thrice has he completed 90 minutes - instead it seems he is in the squad on the basis of that spark back in 2007 under the tutelage of the late Yemi Tella.
If his reputation precedes him, it is perhaps because it is easy for great players to make themselves the template, even for future generations. Okocha was a stellar footballer, but getting caught up trying to replace him ignores the fact that the national team predated him, and as such is perfectly capable of functioning without him or a plaster-cast clone.
The issue of creativity from midfield is one that has raged on for years, and which Keshi was unable to address in his first stint. If his genius solution this time around is to try to resurrect an eight-year ghost in a player only just piecing his career together after much heartache, then the next two years of his contract will be exceeding long indeed.
