South African football pundit, Mbizo Mzamane, has blamed Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi for the Super Eagles disappointing 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe in the World Cup qualifying game in Uyo on Tuesday.
He said the Nigerian midfield was instrumental to the poor result, being a key weakness in their qualifying campaign.
Eric Chelle came to Nigeria with a 4-4-2 formation which he has applied in recent matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Only Ndidi played in his natural position in this formation while Iwobi was assigned defensive duties, and Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon were deployed as wide midfielders.
Mzamane said this was a problem for the Super Eagles as they lacked a natural playmaker in midfield, similar to Austin Okocha or John Obi Mikel.
“They do struggle in the midfield. Alex Iwobi is playing in a makeshift role, he’s not a natural central midfielder,” Mbizo Mzamane said on CBS Sports Golazo.
“A creative influence in the middle of the park has really been missing
“Obviously Ndidi is quality but he’s a more defensive player. That Jay-Jay Okocha-esque player or even an Obi Mikel has been missing for quite some time in Nigeria.
“That player, that key component might be what’s missing personally,” he concluded.
There are four matches left in the qualifiers and Nigeria are fourth in Group C behind South Africa, Benin Republic and Lesotho.
2026 WCQ: South America’s Mzamane blames two Nigerian stars for poor result
