ALEX Iwobi believes the absence of good football pitches in Nigeria is largely responsible for the Super Eagles’ poor performances and results in recent years.
The Everton midfielder was in the starting line-up last Friday when the three-time continental champions were stunned 1-0 by Guinea-Bissau in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clash in Abuja.
The much more accomplished Nigeria side struggled to produce a fluid display on the dry, patchy Moshood Abiola National Stadium pitch as the Djurtus claimed a famous victory.
The Super Eagles avenged the defeat in the reverse fixture on Monday in Bissau, winning 1-0 with an improved performance on what appeared to be a better playing surface.
Although the pitch would not be solely to blame for the defeat against the Djurtus and other poor Super Eagles performances, Iwobi highlighted the part it has played in their recent outings.
“We don’t know if we are going to have a nice pitch to play on,” Iwobi told ‘The Beautiful Game’ podcast.
“Obviously, we got a new coach and we played Sierra Leone and we beat them 2-1 in a very difficult game, then we played Sao Tome and Principe and beat them 10-0 because we played on a great pitch.
“A lot of us play in Europe now and we play on great pitches where it is easy to manipulate the ball around and play freely. If we had that in Nigeria it would be difficult to beat us and I am confident to say that not many teams can beat us.”
Apart from the Moshood Abiola National Stadium pitch, which was recently relaid with hundreds of millions of naira by billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote, the Super Eagles have also struggled in Lagos, Asaba, Port Harcourt and Benin in recent years on mostly substandard surfaces.
Iwobi suggested that the Super Eagles would prefer to have a permanent base with a standard, world-class pitch and facilities for their home games.
“To start with, we don’t have a good pitch because if we have that I feel like we will be unstoppable,” the 26-year-old former Arsenal star added.
“That is one thing about Nigeria and I don’t know what’s going on behind but we could play in Asaba, we could play in Lagos or Abuja.
“We understand that everyone wants to see the Eagles play and Nigeria is a very big nation but at the same time, it will just be nice to have just one base where we know how it is going to be, the hotel we are going to stay and the food we eat. It just makes everything easier.”
In the last two years alone the Super Eagles have lost at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos to Central African Republic, drawn 4-4 with Sierra Leone after taking a 4-0 lead at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City and lost to Guinea-Bissau in Abuja.
Iwobi insists the side are a work in progress with several young players.
“Our team is still young and we still have a lot to learn and even as a team we are still learning about ourselves,” he noted.
“One thing I can promise Nigerian fans is that as much as the talent is still there only God knows where we will be in the next few years and they just need to be patient with us.”
Nigeria lead Group A in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with nine points from four matches, followed by Guinea-Bissau with seven points.
Sierra Leone are third with five points, while Sao Tome and Principe are bottom with one point.
