A Nigerian youth coach has told Super Eagles interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen how to unlock Victor Boniface with the striker still struggling in the national team.
Boniface has been in excellent form since joining Bayer Leverkusen at the start of last season and was pivotal in helping the team with their first-ever German Bundesliga title.
As noted by Transfermarkt, his debut season in Germany saw him win three domestic trophies, scoring 21 goals and providing 10 assists for Xabi Alonso’s side.
His form in Germany was rewarded with a national team debut last September, but after over a year, he has yet to score for the team, even with three straight starts recently.
Former U17 head coach Fatai Amoo has named the type of player the Super Eagles need to make the strikers, particularly Victor Boniface, function optimally.
“Our defence has some stability, but our biggest problem is the midfield in terms of creativity. People will keep asking for another Jay-Jay Okocha because that’s what we miss now. We might need a Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham or Martin Ødegaard type of player to solve our midfield problem,” he told Brila FM....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
“Boniface, who couldn’t operate yesterday, how many opportunities were created for him? How many through passes were played in his path?”
UK-based Nigerian journalist Rilwan Balogun spoke exclusively to Legit.ng shared a different view from Amoo’s, claiming the striker doesn’t necessarily need unlocking.
“If Boniface has to wait for players with those specific qualities in Nigeria, then maybe we may never see him light the stage up,” he said.
“He’s just struggling with how he’s deployed at the moment and it may be worth giving him some time to bed in. Lookman didn’t look the flash at the beginning, too but see what he is now? He’s arguably the Super Eagles’ best player at the moment.
“It takes time for these things to happen. Boniface is creative and confident, he may need to be more aggressive in attacking the boxes, as Eguavoen rightly pointed out after the Libya game.”
