Nigeria’s victory over tiny Tahiti in the Confederations Cup was one of the worst 6 – 1 wins you will ever see. For the African Cup of Nations champions, their standard of football was unimpressive.

Of course one could argue that complacency played a part and the fact that teams can often get sucked down to the level of inferior opponents like Spain's second string on Thursday night even if they reached double figures.

But anyone who watched Nigeria’s path to Nations Cup glory would not have been that impressed by their level of play, nor that of most of their opponents.

In truth, international football on the continent is in a state of flux, with the traditional top sides like Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Nigeria either stagnating or rapidly declining, as previously weaker nations improve.

One reason for Nigeria’s failings pinpointed by pundits during the week was the lack of wingers produced by West African nations in particular.

But one could go further. If you ponder the issue for a moment, you will also come to the realization that there does not appear to be African Ozils, Pirlos or players with an abundance of guile and incision, with the exception of Steven Pienaar.

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For example Ivory Coast was the standout side in Africa over the past decade. But as talented a side as they possessed, they lacked true guile. Yaya Toure plays in a creative role for the Elephants but as those acquainted with his achievements at Manchester City, he is not one to provide a defence-splitting pass. Instead his pace and power are his key assets.  

Oddly enough Papa Bouba Diop was never introduced to Tony Pulis

Part of the problem has to do with the needs of the European football market. Manchester United scout Tom Vernon once claimed that European sides sought the ‘Papa Bouba Diop template’ when scouring the continent for emerging talent.

The 6ft5 Senegalese powerhouse was a decent player but aside from his physical strength and power, he offered little else and certainly not in an attacking capacity.

Whereas the continent could produce creative minds like Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria) and Abedi Pele (Ghana), the modern market dictates a certain breed of player which will be a concern for African teams.

Meanwhile producing technically skilled midfielders is not a major headache for teams in the Far East like Japan and South Korea.

In the last World Cup, both sides played good football on the way to the last-16 where they were both unfortunate to lose out to South American opposition. Japan were also fantastic against Italy on Wednesday night.

However one major issue remains and has been a bane for both countries: cutting edge.

Over the years Japan and South Korea have produced good quality midfielders like Hidetoshi Nakata, Park Ji Sung, Shinji Kagawa, Ki Sung Yeung and Keisuke Honda.

But they have never produced what could be termed as a top level finisher who can truly capitalize on the creativity and technical ability fomenting in the space behind.

Good quality defenders are also an issue bar the occasional full-back with stereotypes about average height often cited as an issue. But it is interesting to note that the vast majority of Japanese or Korean players in Europe over the past 15 years have tended to be attacking midfielders and wingers.