Eagles miss midfield dynamo, Yusuf

Most times, good players don’t need three or four games to prove their mettle. Just 90 minutes is enough to showcase the stuff they’re made of.


It took just a game for Super Eagles rave of the moment, Alhassan Yusuf to establish himself as a key player in the Super Eagles.



It was the opening fixture of the team’s campaign in this tournament precisely against Equatorial Guinea that this very unassuming player used as a launchpad to get his name and image to stick to the minds of football stakeholders in the country.

After that encounter that ended 1-1, Yusuf kept tongues wagging as many looked forward to his appearance in the second fixture against host Cote d’Ivoire.

Unfortunately, the knock he got from the tie with Equatorial Guinea kept Yusuf out of the crucial game with the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire which the Super Eagles won 1-0

Expectedly, Yusuf’s absence in that game was noticed even in Eagles’ victory. As it stands, he is the only box-to-box midfielder Super Eagles have in this tournament, hence his absence created a lacuna difficult for any player to fill.

He is combative, full of energy, covers every space in the midfield as he runs endlessly. Yusuf cuts off passes with ease given the fact that he times the ball and reads the minds of his opponents. He is a ball winner and each time he succeeds in picking ball, he doesn’t hesitate to release it to his teammates.

A player who loves forward play, Yusuf rarely gives a pass behind or to the central defenders. That’s how intelligent this player is. He hardly makes mistakes in his passes. He doesn’t lose balls whether in an aerial contest or with the ball on the turf.


Indeed, the Super Eagles missed Yusuf against Cote d’Ivoire. His colleagues in the midfield seemed lost and bereft of defensive ideas. There was none to cover the acres of space between the midfielders and attackers.


This disconnection led to the players losing steam easily. They gassed out thus, allowing the host team to freely move in the midfield. The pressure noticed on the Eagles defence was clearly due to the absence of Yusuf.

We need no soothsayer to affirm that a new midfield General has been born in the Super Eagles. It is up to the coaches to utilize the potential of the player who many have branded N’Golo Kante. Perhaps Jose Peseiro will be thanking his stars for the discovery of this player who certainly will be a key player and factor in this team if it hopes to excel.

Hopefully, Yusuf will return in the final group game against Guinea Bissau. His presence is needed to boost the team’s morale and help secure the win that should land the team in the next round.

To beat Guinea Bissau, Yusuf will be required to lubricate the engine room of Super Eagles with his breezy yet impactful display. With him in the midfield against Eagles next opponent, the defence line is guaranteed of coverage just as the forwards are sure of the backing to pressurize their opponents to submission.


Nigerians hope to see Yusuf back in Super Eagles line up in the next game and onwards to the end of the tournament.