He has played in Niger tornadoes-now with katsina united for over a decade he has won several trophies. However, he was often not been recognized in the top 3 in the official polls for Goalkeepers of the Year in Nigerian football. People may underestimate him, thinking there’s not much work to do if you sit behind the defence- However, statistics may show you that in the 2016/17/18 season, it was mainly Mustapha who made Niger tornadoes look hard to penetrate.
POSITIONING-
There are many instances from several games that we saw the keeper making some wonderful acrobatic saves especially in the AITEO cup.. Mustapha on consistent bases is the reason he is very good at predicting and anticipating the opponent’s shot direction; he can simply catch.
ONE - ON - ONES
Mustapha Aliko is a reliable keeper with one-on-ones, often choosing the right moment to come out and cover all possible shot directions– he would try to make himself as big as possible.
CROSS CLAIMING REACTION
In most cases, Mustapha only gathers aerial balls towards the six-yard box –
He is a rather conservative goalkeeper, who rarely moves out of his position to make tackles, clearances or interceptions.His saving performances were much better than the average goalkeeper.He doesn’t try to come out and claim aerial balls often.
SAVES
Mustaphas save percentage average from last 3 seasons was 77.6%. Some stats that have gone unnoticed by the National goalkeeper's scouting team
These stats already proved that he has top-class reflexes. He has great anticipation to the opponent’s attacking situations. This, along with his ball-catching ability and positioning, makes it relatively easy for him at times to catch difficult shots cleanly. In addition, he consistently parries the ball to the sides, not giving the opponents a second chance to score.
PASSING
Most team system in Nigerian football does not require the goalkeeper to possess wonderful passing ability. Mustapha’s usual duty is to go for a long pass, while his teammates up high have already grouped in the middle of the pitch, looking to win the second ball. Records from 3 seasons, only 19% of his passes were short.
He is not comfortable with the ball as well as having trouble passing under pressure. He would play long in whenever an opponent tries to close him down. That’s part of the reason why his long ball accuracy is just 37%.
Mustapha doesn’t need to contribute much to the build-up. When he has the ball, defenders and pivots are also not in good positions to support the keeper. It’s not surprising that Mustapha often sends it long.
However, when he sees the available space for a quick counter, he can quickly launch a long pass with accuracy.
...He is a prospect #
REMEMBER THE NAME - MUSTAPHA ALIKO-
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