I am beginning to have doubts about Chelle after this World Cup qualifier against Gabon

Ayo Akinfe

[1] I for one am not surprised about the outcome of this match. We hufffed and puffed for 90 minutes with a whack formation but then turned on the style in extra time when we had a balanced team

[2] As soon as I saw the line-up I knew we were in trouble. Chelle gifted the midfield to Gabon. Against a quality side, we would have been dead and buried by half time

[3] Chelle started with effectively a 4-2-4 formation. It left us totally exposed and vulnerable on the counter-attack

[4] He left Ndidi and Iwobi alone in midfield. Who on earth does that in the modern game?

[5] One out of Onyeka, Onyedika or Yusuf should have started in midfield alongside Ndidi and Iwobi

[6] It is no surprise they whenever we lost the ball we were exposed in midfield

[7] Did you not notice that our team only had balance when Onyeka came on for Akor? Just imagine what would have happened if that blatant Osayi-Samuel penalty had been given

[8] It is naive in the extreme to play with two number nines. In 2025, nobody plays that way anymore. It is Jurassic and pre-historic

[9] Chelle should have started with a 4-3-3 formation. That would have allowed Lookman and Chukwueze to get service alongside Osimhen. It is no accident that they both had bad games today

[10] I hope Chelle corrects this anomaly against DR Congo. Our senior players also need to stand up and tell him that his 4-2-4 formation is unacceptable

ayoakinfe@gmail.com