Will Nigeria Win Today?

This is a question that should be answered with a YES. Interestingly, the Super Eagles have won so many converts after having been condemned after the first match against Iran. And from what would have been Can Nigeria…it’s now, will Nigeria…

 The African Champions have always been a team that improves with every match. Never mind that they lost the last match after drawing the first and winning the second. Playing against Lionel Messi is a different preposition. So, despite losing 2 – 3 to Messi, sorry, Argentina, the performance was a marked improvement from the first two. Expectedly, the fourth match will even be better than the last. It has to…there’s no Messi in this one!

Yes…but let’s be very careful…the French team is no pushover. They wouldn’t be and still topped their group, scoring for fun. They are one of the elite eight nations on the planet that have won the World Cup. Have our dear Eagles ever beaten a World Champion at any competitive setting? No. When they dislodged Spain 16 years ago in France, La Furia Rojas were not yet World Champions. We have lost four times to Argentina, lost to Italy, couldn’t beat England. Moreover, we face an uphill task today, trying to upturn an on-going trend – all teams that topped their groups have qualified for q-finals thus far – Brazil, Colombia, Holland and Costa Rica.

Besides having to face all these uphill tasks, France parade a compact unit and most important, they are physically adequate. Parading a lot of players of African origin, the French team cannot be cowed by African physicality. In Bacary Sagna, Mohamm Sakho, Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi, Mousa Sissoko and the likes, the Eagles cannot boast of any advantage in the ‘quacking’ department.

 

But the 1998 Champions are not just macho…in Karim Benzema, they have an accomplished point man, a weapon most teams lack in this 2014 tournament…and as if not enough, deputy, Olivier Giroud can equally hold his own…sometimes, they even operate together in an old-fashioned but still-effective twin strike force. Operating behind them is the diminutive and tireless Mathieu Valbuena, who is an effervescent playmaker. Still Matuidi and Pogba offer ample support in the effective middle. The defense manned by Sakho, Laurent Koscielny/Raphael Verane, Sagna/Debuchy, Evra effectively shield goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from enemy bullets. Up front, the lone wide man, Antione Griezmman offers counter-attacking potentials to a devastating level. The Eagles must have known this.

However, the above qualities do not in any way make them invincible. The French team is far from being that impregnable unit that won on home soil 16 years ago. There are weaknesses which the Super Eagles should exploit. Either flank is manned by full backs that lack the necessary speed to keep up with Ahmed Musa’s pace. Uncompromising as their defense might seem, Emmanuel Emenike has enough power to breach it. The Fernabache bomber may not have gotten on the score sheet yet but he has two assists of our three goals so far. Something tells me Emenike won’t leave Brazil without scoring…and it just may start happening today.

In all, Stephen Keshi has one magic – he gets the best out of his players…when we went to Nations Cup, Ogenyi Onazi didn’t play first two matches…somebody got injured and he stepped in and stayed. Kenneth Omeruo was not in the line-up until Efe Ambrose got injured and Omeruo stepped in that when Ambrose became fit again, the Chelsea-owned player got drafted into the middle. Sunday Mba was not in the line up until Nosa Igiebor failed to live up to it, then Mba stepped in and stayed. We have already seen such trait in Michael Babatunde. Pity he got his arm broken by an ally’s bullet but watch out…if Michael Uchebo gets 90 minutes, he may make us quickly forget there was Babatunde. Victor Moses has to get back into things and fast.

Tactically, Keshi has no choice but to stick to 4-3-3. The front three of Osaze Odemwingie, Emenike and Musa is as good as you can think. While Onazi , Mikel Obi should partner in the act of shielding the back four…I suspect Uchebo is going to be in front of them as the creative foil. However, Keshi may do some trademark tweak, bringing Moses in to create or drafting Osaze in and shifting Moses out wide. All these are options, depending on what he worked out in training. The Super Eagles is a compact unit that just lacks one important player – a creative midfielder. We don’t have any out there and the Big Boss has to improvise. Whichever player he adapts, I’ll stay solidly behind him. In defense, Captain Joseph Yobo is increasingly becoming difficult to drop. His lack of pace is still evident but his organization is excellent that Humphrey Oboabona may yet again play from the bench. In Keshi’s shoes, I’d bring in Oboabona to partner his familiar ally, Omeruo…then of course Ambrose and Juwon Oshaniwa get the flanks. I haven’t mentioned the goalkeeper…any need wasting space on the obvious?

And YES…the Eagles can and will win…my only worry is that too many Nigerians believe now…in such cases, the Eagles have always faltered. Just why should so many Nigerians believe we will win today?

Come On, You Eagles!

Dear God, please give us this day…