3 reasons why Ademola Lookman was benched vs Ghana, Mali

Finidi George had a lot on his hands with the Super Eagles in
their two friendly games against Ghana and Mali. He had no
assistants to help tinker his team and had to rely on the
goalkeeper trainer to step into multiple roles.

But that wasn’t even the main bake.

With the international window closed and players back at their
clubs, the aftermath of Nigeria’s two friendlies has seen a flurry
of talk about player mutiny and disrespect for the hierarchy.

While none of these rumors have been substantiated, one story
that persists concerns grumblings among players who received
little-to-no playing time.

Of the 26 players invited for the window, Leke Ojo, Fisayo-Dele
Bashiru, Sadiq Umar, Nathan Tella, and Alhassan Yusuf did not play
a single minute.

Calvin Bassey also didn’t get any minutes due to injury, having
to fly back to England after the Ghana game alongside Frank
Onyeka.

Following the defeat to Mali, there was some player
consternation regarding the lack of or limited minutes, with

Ademola Lookman reportedly upset about starting both games from
the bench.

It is natural for players to want to play every game but a
team it isn’t out of place if a coach decides to test other players
or even opt to test a formation during friendly matches.

While Lookman is passionate playing for Nigeria and wants to be
on the pith from the onset, Finidi felt otherwise.

 Here are three reasons why coach Finidi may have been
justified in benching the Atalanta forward.

Lookman’s spot was secure in Finidi
George’s mind

Friendly internationals are often used by coaches to integrate
new players or test new systems and formations. Finidi likely had a
similar goal in mind.

Lookman was arguably Nigeria’s best player at AFCON, even making the
tournament’s best eleven. There was no pressing need to start
him.

Several players in the squad were yet to prove themselves, and
this was a valuable opportunity for the coaching staff to see how
they performed within the same system used at AFCON.

Finidi already knew how Lookman functioned in the setup, as he
was a regular starter at the Nations Cup. It made logical sense for
him to be on the bench.

That being said, Lookman did get some playing time and even
scored the second goal against Ghana, so his international window
wasn’t a complete write-off.

Managing Lookman’s Workload

When
Lookman returned to his club after the Nations Cup, he had to
wait a while to regain his place in the starting lineup, even
missing the game against Sassuolo due to injury. Since then, he’s
been a prominent figure for Atalanta in both Serie A and the Europa
League.

Perhaps Finidi felt Lookman was overloaded and didn’t want to
give him more than brief substitute appearances during the break,
opting to keep him fresh for his club commitments.

This thinking isn’t usually out of place for your best
players.

Finidi George’s Tactical
Maneuvering

When the team list for the first game against Ghana was released
and Ademola Lookman’s name wasn’t on it, an inside source at the
Eagles’ camp attributed it to a tactical decision by Finidi.

The idea was likely to utilize Lookman’s pace and dribbling
skills down the Ghanaian right channel when the Black Stars’
defenders were fatigued.

A fresh Lookman would be a major threat in the latter stages of
the game when defenders are typically less effective.

The plan to contain and counterattack worked almost perfectly
for the Super Eagles, as they
outplayed Ghana in midfield and could have secured a more emphatic
victory if Cyriel Dessers and Kelechi Iheanacho had converted
their chances.

True to Finidi’s thinking, introducing Lookman in the second
half paid dividends, as he scored for Nigeria and nearly added
another. Perhaps Finidi’s strategy, while unorthodox, proved
successful in the end.