Gabon's coach, Thierry Mouyouma, has revealed plans to devise a special tactical approach to contain Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen during their 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Mouyouma described Osimhen as an unpredictable striker, citing his ability to play in behind and excel at set pieces and corners.
"We have to defend as we wouldn’t defend against just anyone. How do we actually defend against him?
“This type of player can be unpredictable, but he also loves playing in behind.
“The ability to reduce the distances behind us is one way, but even if you solve this problem, he has another side to his game, set pieces, and corners.
“That’s where the complexity lies. That’s where the work of a coach becomes interesting, because we are going to dissect, debate, and agree on a common defensive strategy.
“This Nigerian team could stay further back. We need to be able to take the match into the opponents’ half of the pitch. I think that’s the solution to the problem today.”
Osimhen has been in top form, scoring six goals in five matches for Nigeria and recently netting a hat-trick in the Champions League against Ajax Amsterdam. He currently tops the UEFA Champions League goalscoring chart.
By Olujimi Dare Ogun