Super Eagles: What Chelle Must Learn from Azeez’s Playoff Heartbreak

For Femi Azeez, the EFL Championship playoff second leg at The Den was supposed to be a coronation. 

Having committed his in​ternational future to Nigeria just weeks ago, the 24-year-old winger arrived as the "New Boy" everyone wanted to see. 

Nigerian fan​s expected the explosive attacker, who dominated the Championship with 11 goals and 7 assists this season to lead Millwall all the way to Wembley. Instead, he learned the cruelest lesson in professional football.

Despite recording two shots on target and showing flashes of the devastating pace that makes him a "Super Eagle in waiting," Azeez was largely shackled by his veteran international compatriot, Semi Ajayi. 

As the minutes ticked away and Hull City extended their aggregate lead to seal Millwall's exit, Azeez's frustration boiled over, culminating in an 88th-minute yellow card.

This decisive audition is a sobering reality check for both the player and the national team, the Super Eagles under Chelle. 

International football requires an elite level of big-game temperament and Azeez's sudden inability to break through Hull's disciplined tactical setup will now serve as a major talking point for Nigerian fans.

Crucially, it also provides a massive tactical blueprint for Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle.

With Chelle set to name a much-changed, experimental side for the upcoming Unity Cup in London, the manager is actively resting senior mainstays to test out the next generation of Nigerian talent. Azeez is widely expected to headline this new-look squad.

The burning question now is whether this club heartbreak will fuel a more resilient version of Azeez when he finally steps onto the pitch for the Super Eagles. 

For Chelle, who has also been busy combing the NPFL for potential stars, the task is clear: he must decode why Millwall's star man was isolated under pressure and ensure the Super Eagles do not make the same tactical mistakes in London.