Naija United surely won the off-season, adding #1 Draft Pick Nick Amos and Academy Prodigy Ojo Oladipupo. Both are the kind of players to build a team around, Amos like a young Yaya Toure, Oladipupo a Vinicius Junior-type.
Naija have known for a while that they’d be picking Amos and be promoting Oladipupo from the academy. This allowed them to plan ahead move-on a couple of forwards who may otherwise get in the way.
This leaves one big question with some major consequences - who drops out of the starting XI?
Baba Fall will start in goal and the back 4 looks after itself. Amadou Sanchez brought in from Paris will challenge for a CB role but they will play a flat back four.
The front 6 is where it gets interesting
- Cristian Venditto was Naija’s Player of the Season in Season One and will start.
- Charles Ogude was close behind and will be in the starting XI.
- Deji Akande was Young Player of the Season and is considered untouchable.
- When you add Amos (CM) and Oladipupo (LW) there is only one place left.
I believe that place either goes to Paul Obagbemiro to form a three in Centre Midfield with Ogude in the middle of a front three, or to Adrian Chidi who will play up front in a 4-2-3-1 with Ogude at #10.
Either way Julius Martins coached his team to bottom of the league in Season 1, mis-placed loyalty will cost him his job if the results don’t come. He will know what he intends to do, we’ll find out Round 1, October 20th.
The two possible formations:
Fall
Jung Boli Wellington Akakpo
Venditto Amos
Akande Ogude Oladipupo
Chidi
Fall
Jung Boli Wellington Akakpo
Venditto Obagbemiro Amos
Akande Ogude Oladipupo
Chidi
Fall
Jung Boli Wellington Akakpo
Venditto Obagbemiro Amos
Akande Ogude Oladipupo