Mikel | Could tonight be his night? AAmeobi | Will the target man be called upon again?
Resist the urge to play route-one
The Super Eagles' attacking strategy against Iran consisted, almost entirely, of long punts from deep in midfield. Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel was the chief culprit, playing a team-high 18% of his passes long (via Opta). The team has got to show more composure in central areas and more variety in its attacking play.
It is telling that in 52 minutes against Team Melli, Victor Moses only touched the ball 16 times and played six passes, in spite of the fact he carries the team’s creative burden higher up the pitch. The ball was not being spread to the wide areas often enough, even Ahmed Musa only got 30 touches in 90 minutes. These stats, from a team that finished the game with 69% of the possession, are frankly shocking.
Against Bosnia, the team must be patient and wait for the inevitable openings. Discipline and composure will be absolutely vital. Unlike Bosnia, this is not Nigeria's tournament debut. The Super Eagles must ensure it is the Dragons, not them, who will be guilty of schoolboy errors in this high-pressure encounter.
On a related subject...
Attack with width
A look at the Super Eagles’ average positions against Iran shows partly why Nigeria struggled to break Iran down. Moses and Musa usually ended up in very central areas trying to influence the play, as a result of the midfield’s basic, direct approach.
Against Bosnia, there has to be width in attack to stretch the defence laterally across the pitch. This creates space in the middle and opens gaps for runners to exploit from midfield. Attack this narrowly an d you make it too easy for opposing defenders.
As a creative weapon, width can be just as important as flair. Also, considering how deep Iran sat and how deep Mikel and Ogenyi Onazi were, the full-backs should surely have been more adventurous . instead, they rarely crossed half-way!NALYSIS
By Solace Chukwu
The Super Eagles have a fight on their hands tonight against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cuiaba.
In the group opener against Iran, this team’s struggles in the attacking third were clear for all to see. It is not a new problem, Nigeria had problems breaking down the likes of Namibia, Kenya and Malawi in qualifying.
This time, there is little margin for error, so here are some ways Stephen Keshi can get his attack firing againigeria's turgid attacking display against Iran means changes must be made for tonight's crunch game against Bosnia.
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