Against Angola tomorrow, coach Jose Peseiro will stick to his tactics and starters to get the Super Eagles past the line and into the AFCON semifinal.
Like they say, you don’t change a new winning team.
The 3-4-3 formation, which Peseiro started playing against AFCON hosts Cote d’Ivoire, has worked well for Nigeria at this tournament.
This system has fortified an otherwise fragile defence, where mistake-prone William Ekong and Calvin Bassey have looked like world beaters and they have now kept four straight clean sheets.
The team as a whole have been a lot more comfortable with this tactic.
Interestingly, even with a threadbare two-man midfield, the Eagles have also created numerous chances and it was putting these opportunities away that had been the problem before everything fell in place against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the Round of 16.
Of Peseiro’s settled Starting XI, Zaidu Sanusi has been the major concern.
The former winger nicknamed ‘Gareth Bale’ in his time at Jega United has fallen short when he has surged forward to put away chances.
Bright Osayi-Samuel was drafted to the first team as a right back and the impressive Ola Aina was drafted to left back in place of Zaidu in the group game vs Guinea Bissau.
The Fenerbache ace was decent when he pushed forward, but he has been ruled out of tomorrow’s match due to a knee injury.
It is a bit of a surprise that Boavista left back and Zaidu’s direct rival Bruno Onyemaechi has yet to see action at the AFCON even though he was decent in the handful of matches he played for the national team.
With his whole-hearted running and tackling, ‘The Tank’ Frank Onyeka is the mainstay of this team, while his fellow midfielder Alex Iwobi has got the job done even though many him to be a lot more creative.
Two-goal hero Ademola Lookman has justified Peseiro’s insistence to keep him at left wing to the disappointment of Moses Simon.
Moses Simon will therefore play again on the right ahead of the inconsistent Samuel Chukwueze, who has failed to take his chance with the first team at this AFCON.
Peseiro’s winning team have meant midfielder Alhassan Yusuf and Kelechi Iheanacho do not get a look-in despite impressing in training.
Iheanacho, for one, has been great in training after he fully recovered from a thigh injury that previously cast a doubt on his participation at his second AFCON.
Alhassan and ‘Senior man’ Iheanacho could still be the jokers in Peseiro’s pack when it goes down to crunch time.
Thirty years ago, I watched from the media tribune as a certain Emmanuel Amuneke came from the cold to make the most of his chance in the AFCON final against Zambia in Tunis.
Super Eagles Starting XI vs Angola (3-4-3)
Stanley Nwabali – Calvin Bassey, William Ekong (Captain), Semi Ajayi – Zaidu Sanusi, Ola Aina, Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi – Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon
