How the Nigerian media reacted to Taiwo Awoniyi’s display vs Libya

Add as preferred source on Google

Nottingham Forest fans haven’t seen the best of Taiwo Awoniyi this season, and the same can be said about his international performance for Nigeria.

Nuno Espirito Santo has mostly opted for Chris Wood to lead the line at Nottingham Forest, and he’s rewarded his manager with four goals in seven appearances.

Wood scored yesterday on international duty to continue his fine goalscoring form, in what was another impressive display from the big man.

Taiwo Awoniyi has already been slammed by fans for his performance against Fulham, where he failed to get into the game, though the service was limited.

And it was very much more of the same as he flattered to deceive after being brought on as a substitute during Nigeria vs Libya.

How the Nigerian media reacted to Taiwo Awoniyi’s display against Libya

Awoniyi confirmed he’s been receiving messages from a number of fans asking him if he’s okay and about his performances, but he insists he’s feeling fine.

He’s only played 168 minutes of football in his five appearances for Forest, though injuries haven’t been kind to him over the past year.

Now, in his international display for Nigeria, he played just 16 minutes and was slammed for offering very little at the pinnacle of the attack.

Afrik Foot NG did a player ratings piece. They gave him a rating of 3/10 and stated this.

“The Nottingham Forest striker replaced Boniface but was effectively shut down by the Libyan defense.”

Taiwo Awoniyi’s performance in numbers vs Libya

Taiwo Awoniyi played just 16 minutes, had just four touches, failed to complete any of his three passes, lost his only duel, lost possession four times and committed one foul.

The Nigerian striker is clearly low on confidence and searching for some form, but if you’re struggling to perform against Libya then it’s unlikely he can make much of a difference in the Premier League.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to start two up front with Awoniyi and Wood against Fulham wasn’t the best idea, but it may be the only way of the latter getting a starting spot.