Nigeria may have won all their group games at AFCON 2025, but some still feel the Super Eagles are not fully ready for the tougher tests in the knockout stage, Footynaija.com reports.
The three time African champions topped Group C with wins over Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda, scoring freely and booking a Round of 16 meeting with Mozambique.
Eric Chelle’s side found the net eight times across those three games and showed attacking depth through players such as Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Paul Onuachu and Raphael Onyedika.
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Still, there are concerns at the other end of the pitch. Nigeria conceded four goals in the group stage, including one against a 10-man Uganda side in the final game.
The situation has caught the attention of former Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, who believes the team’s defensive organisation still needs attention before the knockout clash.
Speaking via Sky Sports, as reported by Daily Post, Akpeyi pointed to a recurring issue in Nigeria’s defensive shape, particularly how opponents find space between the lines.
“Unfortunately, it is something that they need to keep working on, because we can see the player there running into the pocket and getting the ball from there,” he said.
“It makes it difficult, so is everyone sleeping at the back? They’ve to observe when a player is making a run into that space.”
“This keeps recurring every now and then. I think Eric Chelle will go back to the drawing board and see how he can work on this team to make sure we don’t concede goals.”
