Don't build the team around Osimhen — Ex Super Eagles star warns Eric Chelle

Former Super winger Tijani Babaginda has raised concerns about the dependency of Victor Osimhen, stating that Eric Chelle had to find a way to squeeze out more contributions from other members of the team, especially the attackers. 

The Galatasaray man has an incredible output level for the Super Eagles, with 31 goals in 45 senior caps, placing him as the second top scorer in Nigerian national team history. 

Of the players named in Eric Chelle's 54-man preliminary squad for the AFCON, Kelechi Iheanacho is the closest to Osimhen's tally with 15 goals in 58 appearances. Alex Iwobi is next with 10 in 91 

The disparity is further exemplified by Nigeria’s struggles in the World Cup qualifiers, failing to win the five matches in which Osimhen was absent, while winning four of the five he played in. 

Osimhen's unavailability ultimately proved costly to Nigeria's World Cup ambitions. Ahead of the AFCON, Babangida warned that Chelle had to fix the problem if the Super Eagles were to go all the way. 

“It is dangerous that it appears that the Super Eagles is built around Victor Osimhen,” he told Tribal Football. “It was when he was removed in the beginning of the second half against Congo that the team started to struggle. That is very bad.

“The Super Eagles of my time was not built around one player. Many people have observed that Super Eagles is built around Osimhen. This is a problem that Eric Chelle must fix if the team wants to win the AFCON. 

“Chelle must impact this mentality to all the players, the attackers especially, that the team is not built around Osimhen. Any player given the nod to feature in any game must perform very well and play as a team.

“We need a fully fit Osimhen, but we also need a fully mentally prepared players who knows that with or without Osimhen, Super Eagles can win. 

“Morale should be high in the team whether Osimhen is there or not. Osimhen was absent in most of the games that the team failed to win during the World Cup qualifiers.

“Super Eagles should not be in a mess if Osimhen is injured. Chelle must address this issue because injury is part of the game. Osimhen's absence in any game should not be the end of the world for Super Eagles.”