As Nigeria Premier Football League returns to action, Lodgexpress.com provides an insight into some promising players to watch in the 2023 campaign.
Let’s take a look in particular at one player to watch in the coming weeks.
Monday Akile (Lobi Stars): Playmaker
Monday Akile is a Nigerian professional football player currently on the books of Lobi Stars in the Nigeria topflight division.
Akile is capable of operating as a deep-lying playmaker, central midfielder, box-to-box midfielder, and occasionally also as a holding midfielder.
His technical ability, agility, easy dribbling and movement – both on and off the ball – allow him to create space and control the flow of play in the midfield area, whilst his exceptional playmaking ability, vision, and precise passing allow him to create chances, retain possession, and make decisive passes for his teammates.
A very agile and talented left-footed player, Akile is known for having good dribbling skills, an excellent first touch and outstanding technical ability, which, along with his brilliant attacking movements, allow him to retain possession even when he is in tight spaces, and to create space for himself and teammates to open up any defence.
His calmness and composure when on the ball, as well as his passing accuracy, vision, ability to read the game, pick a pass, and control the tempo of his team’s play makes him a very important asset of Lobi Stars’ tactical set-up.
Although he primarily plays as a playmaker for his team – as seen during the 2021-2022 season, he is also capable of scoring goals himself as well as providing assists which enables him to be deployed in several offensive position: Akile is usually fielded in a free role as a no.10, where he is given space to roam every angle of the pitch, but has also been used as a winger, as a false striker, as a supporting striker or as a deeper-lying central midfielder.
