The Super Eagles of Nigeria continue to battle with goalkeeper instability ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Ivory Coast.
Before now, Nigeria had some of the best goalkeepers in Africa such as Peter Rufai, Best Ogedengbe, Ike Shorunmu, Alloy Agu and Vincent Enyeama.
These goalkeepers dominated for years during their professional career.
For example, Enyeama had been the undisputed number one goalkeeper for the Super Eagles for over a decade before he retired from the game back in 2015.
Ever since his retirement, the Super Eagles is yet to have a trusted first-choice goalkeeper.
Nigeria has tried close to a dozen of goalkeepers such as Dele Alampasu, Oladele Ajiboye, Daniel Akpeyi, Carl Ikeme, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho since Enyeama hung his glove.
But none has so far been able to occupy special places in the hearts of the Super Eagles supporters or Nigerian football folklore.
Yet the problem has not been fixed. In fact, it’s getting increasingly bad and worrisome as the 2023 AFCON draws closer.
The current goalkeepers recently invited by the Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro for their recent international friendly games against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique were Uzoho, who currently plays for Cyprus side Omonia, Enyimba’s Olorunleke Ojo, Hapoel Jerusalem’s Adebayo Adeleye and Okoye, who currently plays for Udinese.
The 2023 AFCON final draw was held recently and the Super Eagles were drawn alongside host Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
However, no team can boast of its readiness to win the AFCON with a poor goalkeeping department.
At the moment, the current Super Eagles have the worst goalkeeping challenge in the history of the Nigerian senior national football team.
Some Nigerians still blame the Super Eagles failure at the 2019 AFCON on goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi.
They believed that the former Manchester City winger Rhiyad Marhez’s free kick that earned Algeria a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the semi-final could not have beaten Enyeama.
Akpeyi’s positioning behind the wall he arranged made it easy for the clever Mahrez to poke in the decider without a sweat.
Also, Nigeria’s 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in the 2022 AFCON in Cameroon was blamed on goalkeeper Okoye’s loss of concentration.
Okoye was found wanting when it mattered most and the Super Eagles that were declared the best team of the group stages and favourites to win the tournament got eliminated in the Round of 16, by a COVID-19-ravaged Tunisia team that were second best in their group.
But Okoye’s error may not be over stretched going by the tactical blunders of the bench.
Similarly, on March 29, 2022, another goalkeeping error, this time by Uzoho cost Nigeria the ticket to 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar which was won by Lionel Messi-led Argentina.
Uzoho failed to save Thomas Partey’s low shot from outside the box as it sneaked through his legs for the vital away goal to ensure Ghana qualified for the World Cup ahead of Nigeria.
Again, in the recent international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, Uzoho’s error gave Saudi Arabia the opening goal.
The 25-year-old was still flatfooted against Mozambique when they scored the opener.
Unexpectedly, coach Peseiro defended Uzoho after his errors against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, respectively.
Peseiro attributed the poor displays of Super Eagles’ goalkeepers to the barrage of attacks from Nigerians every time they kept for the team.
The Portuguese said, “When I arrived here, I remember I was told to change the goalkeeper. I spoke with all of them, no one felt comfortable because everybody attacked them. They could make mistakes, it is my responsibility. Next time, I need to train him [Uzoho] better.”
Goalkeeping errors in the national team have become too many and a big worry to football fans and stakeholders.
Audu Ojo, the head coach of Dawaki Rangers highlighted the importance for goalkeepers to always learn from their predecessor when they get the opportunity to represent the team.
Ojo, who noted the importance of transition, insisted that the goalkeeping department is very unique in football and key for any team to win competition.
“The goalkeeping department is a very unique department in football. Coaches, clubs need to take the goalkeeping department very seriously.
“Coaches need top clash goalkeeper trainers for their keepers and this is one of the reasons many quality goalkeepers are not discovered these days for the Super Eagles,” Ojo said.
When asked if the current goalkeepers in the Super Eagles squad are good enough to lead the team to victory in the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, Ojo added, “First and foremost, we must not forget that a good goalkeeper is as good as his defence.
“So if the strikers are scoring goals yet the defence is drippy and the goalkeeper is allowing in goals, obviously the team will be at the mercy of the opponents.
“It does not mean that if the goalkeeper makes a mistake we should hang him. I believe Uzoho will learn from his mistakes.
“He needs encouragement because he will be a better goalkeeper going forward. I watched one of the matches he played against Manchester United in the Europa League, he was superb.”
“I believe with positive encouragement and the right trainers to coach him, Uzoho can lead Nigeria to victory in Ivory Coast. But the team also needs to strengthen at the defense, midfield and also attack.
“One good thing with goalkeepers is that they improve and get better as they grow older,” he said
