At the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, coach Jose Peseiro has got the Super Eagles “parking the bus” just as his one-time boss and more famous compatriot Jose Mourinho.
‘The Special One’ Mourinho played pragmatic football using the 3-5-2 formation hinged on a very disciplined defence that was difficult to go past for the likes of Chelsea and Inter Milan to win major honours across Europe.
And it is now looking very much like Peseiro is using the same tactics for Nigeria to win a fourth AFCON crown in Cote d’Ivoire.
Going into this AFCON, the defence was widely seen as the Achilles Heel of the Super Eagles with the heart of the defence the most problematic.
Kenneth Omeruo and William Ekong are at the twilight of their careers, Calvin Bassey has been prone to costly mistakes, Chidozie Awaziem is average, while a lot more is still expected of Semi Ajayi.
With the 3-4-3 formation Peseiro has employed at the AFCON, it now explains why he selected as many as five central defenders for the tournament.
He also revealed that he designed this formation during the team’s short training camp in Dubai, where it was not known that the 4-4-2 formation he had favoured in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November against Lesotho and Zimbabwe could not be sustained because of the absence of Victor Boniface and Taiwo Awoniyi.
The 3-4-3 system has transformed the Super Eagles into a very tactical team who keep out the other team and at the same time create numerous chances on the counter.
The Pharoahs of Egypt owe a good number of the seven AFCON titles they won to parading a measly defence combined with a highly efficient attack led by the likes of Hosam Hassan and Aboutrika.
Nigeria, on the other hand, have so prided themselves on their attack, same as the Brazil of the 70s and 80s, that they suffered from an arrogance that you will always outscore the other team no matter how many goals they score you.
For tournament football especially by the knockout rounds, that is very dangerous as such a system may not allow you to get over a slip and then you are out the competition.
But once you keep out the opposition and you take your chances, you will be almost unstoppable and go all the way to the top prize.
The Super Eagles are flying high on the wing of this philosophy – no sexy, expansive football, just get across the line by being highly organised in defence and very efficient when you get your chances.
“We wait for the other team, cover the lines and space and close the wings,” explained Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka.
“If we don’t score, we don’t let you to score.”
“Do you want to play beautiful football and lose?,” asked former international defender Ifeanyi Udeze.
“You don’t need to win 10-0, just do the minimum to get you to the next round.”
“Peseiro designed a formation that suits his unfancied team,” added journalist Ademetan Abayomi.
“He has stuck to his conservative decisions without giving in to pressure from hard-to-please Nigerian fans, who think they have Ronaldo, Messi, Okocha and Drogba.”
