Will Gernot Rohr finally play Joe Aribo in his best position?

For obvious reasons, Odion Ighalo’s possible Nigeria return was the biggest takeaway from Gernot Rohr’s 24-player squad for World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde.

The Super Eagles’ top scorer at the last Africa Cup of Nations has been recalled, after a two-year absence, in time for next year’s continental showpiece, mostly to negative reactions by supporters generally frustrated by the trainer’s choices. 

While Ighalo’s return has understandably dominated discussions in the last week or so, has everyone missed a possible alteration in approach for this week’s internationals?

Of course, fans’ riposte may focus on how this is often always a possibility with most squads, only for Rohr’s conservative nature and unwillingness to change to rear its head. 

Having said that, Joe Aribo may well be a beneficiary of this squad’s composition, particularly in midfield. 

Wilfred Ndidi, fit again after the hamstring injury that kept him out of last month’s double-header with the Central African Republic, Frank Onyeka and another returnee, Alex Iwobi, are the options in the middle of the park along with the Rangers man.

This immediately opens the door for the deviation from the German’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, or few variations of the back three he has utilized sporadically—and that was seen in the reverse fixture against CAR last month. 

There’s an argument to be presented that Aribo’s never actually been utilized effectively in the national team. At Rangers, he’s deployed as a ‘free 8’ in a 4-3-3 or in the front three where he acts as a wide playmaker on the right flank. 

Having never been tried in Nigeria’s attack, the 25-year-old has been manacled in a midfield pivot since his 2019 debut against Ukraine.

With Samuel Chukwueze returning after his long absence, Rohr is unlikely to make use of the former Charlton Athletic man in forward positions with the Super Eagles already blessed with menacing options. 

Indeed, a continued midfield berth is likelier, but could Nigeria’s boss spring a rare surprise?

Given Ndidi’s return and adeptness as a lone defensive midfielder and Onyeka’s versatility across a variety of midfield roles — he’s been deployed in a midfield three so far at Brentford — Aribo could be the third option in a triumvirate.

Perhaps, the smoother alternative would be utilizing a trio of Ndidi, Iwobi and Aribo. Highly unlikely, maybe, but not impossible owing to Rohr’s picks in June’s friendlies with Cameroon. 

In the aforementioned games, the Super Eagles trainer appeared to deploy Kelechi Iheanacho and Iwobi either side of the Leicester anchorman, an unusual approach for the typically inflexible 68-year-old. 

Without a doubt, Aribo will be a beneficiary of a similar inclination against Liberia or Cape Verde, with the West African giants aiming to seal progress to the playoff round in World Cup qualifying. 

Admittedly, this potential alteration markedly affects Iheanacho, who’s been utilized in a dual role as playmaker and second striker in 4-2-3-1 (or 4-4-2 when he combines with Victor Osimhen in attack), casting doubts over the switch. 

While Aribo has shown flashes of his quality in the green jersey, there is a sense that all that talent may never manifest without a formation change. That would be a shame.

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Seye Omidiora is a passionate football writer and pundit whose deep appreciation for the beautiful game exceeds the usual. He is currently a columnist for Goal Africa and has previously written for Vital Football UK, IBCity Info and Opera News.

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