Victor Moses's wild finish against Manchester City on Sunday summed up the wideman's frustrations in recent fixtures, and encapsulated the struggles of the Super Eagles' key players around the world.
Indeed, with less than 100 days to go before the World Cup kicks off, too many of Nigeria's star performers are delivering sub-par showings, falling short of their regular standards, or sidelined at their club sides.
Nigeria's preparations, on the surface, may appear serene, but Gernot Rohr's side are hardly gathering momentum as the tournament approaches.
Moses remains the team's most naturally gifted player, and his fine performances during the qualifying campaign - as he carried over the momentum from his unexpected renaissance at Chelsea - were a joy to behold.
However, the attacker's overall output in a Blues jersey this term has prompted concern, with his statistics declining amidst a broader malaise at Stamford Bridge.
Fatigue - a natural consequence of Moses's demanding duties after 18 months as the Pensioners' right wing-back - is a very real threat, and one that ought to be of grave concern to Rohr.
Youngsters Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi have been tipped as the future of Nigeria football, and they represent the figureheads of the German coach's new young Super Eagles team, but both are in the midst of troubled campaigns.
However, the former has flopped at Leicester City after moving from Manchester City before the season - he's yet to break his duck in the top flight and has only started three Premier League games all season.
Will the 21-year-old - arguably Nigeria's chief goal threat - be able to pick himself up from his toil in the East Midlands to thrive in Russia?
Iwobi hasn't fared much better in North London, and could be fighting for his future at Arsenal next season on the evidence of his disappointing displays for the Gunners.
Increasingly over the past couple of months, Iwobi has struggled for consistency although, as with Moses, perhaps his team's broader troubles have affected his confidence and automation.
It's hard, however, to blame Arsenal's malaise for the attacker's increasingly poor touches in dangerous areas, his weak finishing and underwhelming defensive contribution.
Iwobi's lack of discipline could also cost Nigeria dearly against well drilled opposition like Croatia, Iceland or Argentina.
Recent red cards for defensive duo William Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun hint at their fallibility, while the goalkeeping dilemma remains unresolved.
Gernot Rohr's decision to dispatch trainer Enrico Pionetti to Spain to work with youngster Francis Uzoho is both a nod to the stopper's quality and a potential sign of desperation for the German head coach.
While Uzoho is certainly talented, the World Cup is not the kind of environment in which an inexperienced stopper with only 45 minutes of international experience under his belt should be pitched into the action.
Despite the troubles, there are certainly positives for the Eagles.
The squad depth has significantly improved with more options, notably at full-back, where Ola Aina, Brian Idowu and Tyronne Ebuehi are all pushing for a spot. Elsewhere, Oghenekaro Etebo and Wilfred Ndidi continue to improve and represent strong midfield options for Rohr.
The morale within the camp and the squad's attitude are both excellent, and have propelled the team to greater heights - notably against Cameroon and Argentina - and the example of Africa's previously success stories at the World Cup suggest that unity and teamwork are particularly important.
Certainly, the Super Eagles have the potential to set an all-time potential new best performance at the tournament, but the lingering concerns that surround so many key men ought to represent an increasing concern for Rohr and his staff.