COMMENT: Paul Onuachu far from a terminal miss for AFCON

From losing midfield stalwart Oghenekaro Etebo to seeing standard-bearer Victor Osimhen ruled out for an extended period on account of a multiple facial fractures, there has been no end of mishaps, and that is only taking on-pitch matters into account.

Off the pitch, long-standing coach Gernot Rohr has been relieved, his brief handed to a consortium that will apparently lead by committee until a more permanent helmsman is contracted. Whether or not that appointee will be brought in in time for the AFCON, or will have a purely observatory role in Cameroon, remains to be seen.

It is all rather messy.

In keeping with that theme, Monday morning saw yet more dreary news come a-knocking. This time, it is Paul Onuachu: latest reports suggest he injured his hamstring over the weekend as Genk drew with Royal Antwerp in Jupiler League action, and will miss “the next three, four weeks” of action, according to club manager Bernd Storck.

While the timeframe would not necessarily preclude his involvement, it does throw yet another curveball at the newly constituted coaching crew. Osimhen remains the great unknown, being that his recuperation is going much better than predicted. However, in his absence, Onuachu had as good a claim as anyone to the position, and would have fancied his chances considering the fact he started Nigeria’s opener at the AFCON back in 2019 as well.

While this latest setback is a concern in terms of the shrinking of the pool, it may very well end up being a blessing in disguise for the technical crew led by Austin Eguavoen.

Onuachu may be in the middle of the purplest of patches in his club career, but his international performances have left a lot to be desired. His tally of three in 17 for the Super Eagles tells its own story, and even though it is worth acknowledging that only six of those were starts, the quality of his play has hardly promised better. More than anything else, it is impossible to escape the sense that he simply does not fit.

Part of that is not his fault, of course. You know what you are getting with a two metre-tall centre-forward, and you understand implicitly the imperatives that this profile of striker places on you stylistically. However, it is one thing to know what to do, and quite another to consider the trade-off worthwhile in the grand scheme. To optimise for such a unique player comes with its own problems and questions.

These are questions that Eguavoen might now be spared if Onuachu is unable to nurse back to health in good time to make the squad. Being pressed for time to synthesise a winning formula, the 56-year-old could do with having some of the tough decisions taken out of his hands. 

While most managers would rather have too much than too little, abundance is as much a peril in certain situations, especially for a coach who has historically shown himself unable to manage it.

Back in 2006, Eguavoen chopped and changed all tournament long with the benefit of a striker glut, unable to settle on a preferred selection until the very end. Faced with a similar dynamic this time around, and without the benefit of friendlies within which to try out certain configurations, the concern is that the NFF technical director would spend precious time in competitive play committing to an idea that has already proven problematic: that of Onuachu as a starting player.

The sample size may be small still, but the Genk man has proven to be better at providing decisive moments than leading the line with conviction: two of his three international goals have come off the substitute’s bench. All things considered, it is the role that best harnesses the towering striker’s skill set anyway.

The upshot is that Onuachu is a good option to have, but is by no means an absolutely essential asset. While a place at the AFCON – and the possibility of a starting spot – could have offered him a chance to redeem himself in tournament play after the debacle that was his showing against Burundi over two years ago, his absence would hardly be terminal for Nigeria’s prospects in Cameroon. It might even be helpful to not have the distraction at all.