The coach of Gabon, Thierry Mouyouma, has said he is devising a special tactical approach to contain Victor Osimhen during their 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff.
He described the Galatasaray hitman as an unpredictable striker.
Osimhen featured in only five matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to fitness concerns. However, he remains the main reason Nigeria still harbours hopes of qualifying for the tournament, having made a remarkable impact with six goals.
Beyond his exploits for the Super Eagles, Osimhen has also been in outstanding form at club level, netting a hat-trick in the Champions League against Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday. He currently tops the UEFA Champions League goalscoring chart.
Asked how he plans to defend against Osimhen, Mouyouma told his press conference on Thursday, “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 Nigeria 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.”
