Morocco Match Exposed a Silent Weakness in the Super Eagles: The Mental Game.

By Femi Soneye

Yesterday’s game against Morocco exposed a critical gap in the Super Eagles setup: the absence of a psychologist. I was seated right in front of the players during the sub warm-up, and the difference was striking.

While players like Paul Onuachu, Dele Bashiru, and Moses Simon went through their drills with intensity, focus, and passion, Samuel Chukwueze looked completely unhappy, disinterested, and mentally absent for over 30 minutes, possibly frustrated about not starting the game.

Despite being called and recalled twice before eventually coming on, Onuachu stayed positive and fully engaged, and that mental strength showed clearly in the confidence of his penalty kick. At this level, football is as much psychological as it is physical.

A sports psychologist would have read Chukwueze’s mental state and advised against introducing him. Sadly, it reflected in the outcome. Mental readiness wins matches. Ignore it, and it comes at a cost.