FC Midtjylland center-forward Paul Onuachu got his first call-up to the Super Eagles of Nigeria during the AFCON 2019 qualifiers after series of eye-catching performances for his Danish club.<\/p>\n
The player is good in the air based on his height and scored some headed goals during the 2018-2019 campaign.<\/p>\n
Onuachu made his competitive debut for the three-time African champions in the final AFCON qualifying game against Seychelles which ended 3-1 in Nigeria’s favor.<\/p>\n
His quick goal against Egypt in a friendly encounter won the heart of Gernot Rohr who didn’t think twice before naming the player in his final 23-man AFCON squad.<\/p>\n
However, the 25-year-old is having a less-impressive tournament in Egypt as he hasn’t really justified his inclusion in the team.<\/p>\n
Onuachu is known for his goalscoring prowess but he is still searching for his maiden AFCON goal despite playing three matches.<\/p>\n
What could be the possible reasons behind his below-par display in Egypt?\u00a0 provides top three answers to the question.<\/p>\n
1. Inexperience<\/p>\n
Putting up a fine display while playing for Super Eagles requires a lot of experience and determination.<\/p>\n
In Onuachu’s case, there is determination to succeed but the young man lacks the required experience.<\/p>\n
Like most of his team-mates, this is his first AFCON tournament and his first time of playing back-to-back competitive games for the Super Eagles.<\/p>\n
He played just three international matches (excluding the closed door friendly game with Senegal) prior to the AFCON, hence, he’s not an experienced international and it’s showing in Egypt.<\/p>\n
2. Eagles Are Not Playing To His Strength<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old is known for his ability to powerfully head the ball past goalkeepers and his teammates are expected to utilize his strong point.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, that’s not happening in Egypt as Super Eagles wingers, especially Ahmed Musa, often choose to make low crosses into the opponent’s box.<\/p>\n
His height and ability to beat goalies with his head has not been put into massive use, no thanks to poor crosses from the wingers.<\/p>\n
3. Limited Game-time<\/p>\n
Though the FC Midtjylland striker has featured in three matches in Egypt, he has managed just one start so far.<\/p>\n
He hasn’t spent much time on the pitch, therefore, there is insufficient time to showcase his class and qualities.<\/p>\n
Ighalo’s importance to the team is arguably the major reason why the 25-year-old isn’t getting much action and that won’t change any time soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FC Midtjylland center-forward Paul Onuachu got his first call-up to the Super Eagles of Nigeria during the AFCON 2019 qualifiers after series of eye-catching performances for his Danish club. The player is good in the air based on his height and scored some headed goals during the 2018-2019 campaign. Onuachu made his competitive debut for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":12719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[468,116,122,348],"class_list":["post-12717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-afcon","tag-football","tag-sports","tag-tournament"],"yoast_head":"\n