Super Eagles Mr Fantastic Frank Onyeka followed up his scintillating performance against Liverpool last weekend with another A1 display in his side’s impressive 2:1 win against West Ham today.
It has to be said though that Onyeka’s most telling contributions often come off the ball which can makes his impact lost to the naked eye at times.
Never one to routinely run at opponents or drive the ball up field with terror or confuse opponents with fancy footworks, Onyeka’s movements help his team maintain their shape and frees up others around him to inflict the most damage.
His silent influence helped Brentford shock Liverpool last weekend by coming back to snatch an unlikely draw before doing a number on West Ham today.
If he keeps this up, Onyeka will be the unsung hero of his club at the end of the season.
Of the 29 touches Onyeka made in the 82 minutes he spent on the pitch today, he accomplished 82% pass accuracy. He was involved in 9 ground duels where 3 of these were won neatly by the Super Eagles midfielder.
As already mentioned, his best contribution came in the way of movements which ensured his team’s formational arrangements remained in sync.
Onyeka is fast proving to be a silent achiever in England. A look at his heatmap shows a player full of purposeful movements that deter and discourages opposition attacking intent.
Mobile and fluid midfielders like Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo will love playing alongside Onyeka in the Super Eagles.
The Brentford-Bulwark in midfield will give his Super Eagles colleagues freedom to drive forward, express their creativity and implement the coaches tactical instructions safe in the knowledge that the midfield tactical arrangements will remain intact.
Onyeka is not one to be easily drawn out of position. He keeps it simple but effective.
He will be a major asset if available and selected for the Afcon in January.
It is no surprise then that Brentford have only tasted defeat once in the six games that Onyeka has featured this season.
For Nigeria though, Super Eagles fans would like more involvement from Onyeka with the ball as well as without it. And based on his UEFA Champions League exposure (and how offensive he was at times in his previous club) the 23 year old mathematical midfielder has it in him to be as explosive with the ball as he is without it.
Super Eagles fans will soon find out just how deadly Onyeka can be
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