Posted by Samuel on Fri 06th Mar, 2026 - tori.ng
According to him, the Italian has brought a system into the Super Eagles that is similar to Nigeria’s traditional setup.
Former Nigerian international Tijani Babangida has revealed that Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle gave Ademola Lookman full freedom in his squad during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco.
Speaking on Sunday Oliseh’s Global Football Insights, Babangida said Chelle removed the number 11 position and gave Lookman a free hand to walk around on the pitch of play against the opponent.
According to him, the Italian has brought a system into the Super Eagles that is similar to Nigeria’s traditional setup.
“You can only put the number 7, but number 11 is free. Lookman can run there, a striker can run there, and you have more chances for good attacks, with more midfielders involved as well,” the former Ajax player said.
“That was a very good system, the system we used to play. You could see Nigerians were very surprised and wondered why the Super Eagles were playing so well.
“It’s because of that system, and it worked well with the boys. I hope we can keep that atmosphere.”