Why Osimhen’s form and confidence is great ahead of Chelle’s debut Super Eagles World Cup qualifier

Victor Osimhen’s brilliant hat trick for Galatasaray against Antalyaspor this weekend was beautiful to watch. It culminated in a 4-0 win for the Istanbul giants.

The striker is hitting the kind of imperious form that you expect coming into such a crucial moment of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as Nigeria prepares to play against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in must-win matches that would secure their ability to reach the next World Cup.

Nigeria currently trail the group in fifth place with six matches left to be played. A win away in Kigali against the Wasps, who have recently hired a new coach, will set a positive tone ahead of the second game against Zimbabwe in Uyo.

That all-important game in Kigali will also show us what stuff new Nigeria coach Eric Chelle is made of, his style, his character and his mentality.

Osimhen gives me hope

I watched highlights of the goals scored by Victor Osimhen over the weekend. They were goals that proved his ability to find the key passes when sent into the box. A typical striker’s performance.

But more importantly, it was the decision to allow new strike partner Alvaro Morata to take a penalty kick that made the encounter most memorable.

It reminded one of Bukayo Saka’s decision to hand the penalty duty to struggling teammate Kai Havertz during the early days of his arrival at Arsenal.

Such magnanimity shows that Osimhen is in a great mental space ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Nigeria has struggled without him being at his best. When he is at his best, defenders are at his mercy, and he may wrought with them withersoever he chooses.

A healthy and fit Osimhen is every defender’s worst nightmare.

Chelle’s “demanding” call to Osimhen

In a foreshadowing of things to come, Osimhen recently revealed on the Obi One Podcast how Eric Chelle called him up to discuss his vision for the Super Eagles.

Speaking to former national team captain John Obi Mikel, Osimhen revealed that Chelle said he would only pick players who chased every ball and were committed to the success of the national team.

Osimhen also revealed his admiration for the coach during his time as the coach of Mali, which he watched at the last Africa Cup of Nations. Even though Mikel had never watched the coach handle a team, Osimhen’s glowing recommendation shows that Chelle has what it takes to manage the bigger Super Eagles and its array of stars.

“(Chelle) said, Victor, I need you to come and work with the other guys to achieve amazing things for Nigeria, you guys have the quality to do it,” he quoted Chelle.

From the conversation, one thing is clear: there is great admiration for the new manager from among the players. But he will need to prove it on the field in two crucial games this month.

They are must-win games that could make or break our chances of reaching the USA/Canada/Mexico 2026.

The Super Eagles have no choice

After the ignominy of missing Qatar 2022, this brilliant generation of players cannot afford to watch a second World Cup from the confines of a television screen.

Nigeria currently parade two African Footballer of the Year players, Osimhen and reigning Ademola Lookman. They deserve to play at the World Cup and be seen by the world.

Failure to win these two matches would be a shame, but it won’t be the end of the world for us as fans or analysts. It is they who would miss their opportunity to shine on the biggest stage of all.

And it is why they need to come to camp ready to chase every ball and enter every tackle like their life depended on it.

And it is one of the reasons why I am still puzzled by Chelle’s decision to drop Frank Onyeka from the squad. This is the midfielder who embodies that attitude of chasing every ball and winning every tackle.

Despite this, I wish Chelle and the team well.