Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has warned his players they must be at their best to beat South Africa, reports Completesports.com.
Nigeria will take on the Bafana Bafana in a semi-final fixture at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.
The three-time champions have impressed many with their gritty display in Cote d’Ivoire.
Peseiro however claimed it is important for the players to give more than 100 hundred percent on the pitch when they confront the South Africans.
“We’re doing a good job. Good organisation and good commitment, we play like a team together,” the Portuguese coach told a press conference in Bouake on Tuesday.
Read Also:AFCON 2023: Osimhen Cleared To Face South Africa, Off To Bouake
“It will be a tough match against a good national team.
“We want to beat South Africa to reach the final. For that we have to play a high-level match against a South African team who eliminated Morocco, who did a fantastic World Cup.
“We must play 100% or more to beat a very good team.”
Peseiro also reiterated his team’s desire to win the competition.
“My belief is that we can win this competition,”he added.
“But they also want to win AFCON, just like us.”
By Adeboye Amosu in Abidjan
Photo by Ganiyu Yusuf
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COMMENTS
I think if Peseiro would like from the players to bring 100% on the match versus South Africa, he must put his excellent tactics and straties he has played before versus Cameroon and Angola, he should play with 3-4-3 formation with giving Iwobi to defend and attack, Iwobi should play through passes from the deep centre for Osimhen or for Lookman, Aina and Sanusi also should play crosses from the wings also they must defend when Super Eagles loose the ball; Osimhen should be behind Lookman as a shadow attacker in order to drag SA defenders so it allows Lookman or Simon Moses to score goals; Onyeka must be still in his positioning as defensive midfielder in order to disrupt SA counter attack or shooting from distance which I think SA will depend on it to score goals especially by Mokwina; SE must close SA key players just like Persi Tau , Mokwina ; SE must play on SA weakness which represents and instansiates on weak defenders, especially on the deep of defence, so SE can play more through ball for Osimhen or Lookman to penetrate SA defence, then score betweeness goal or goals ; goalkeeper Nwabili must organzie his defence tightly , he must give orders to his defenders to cover SA attackers tightly and strongly with playing sliding tackling when SA attacker would like to penetrate SE defence , also SA defenders must build strong wall when SA want to play direct kick or kicks to SA goalkeeping; also SE defenders must not committ set-pieces mistakes and erros when SA wingers make crosses from the wings; if Peseiro put these tactics in his mines and his heart he will beat SA worthily.
We gave too much respect to the Angolans otherwise we should have scored from the blast of the whistle. Against South Africa history tells me unknown or unsung player usually scores for us. Chukwueze and Ekong in 2019. Then Chukwueze was not well known. Babangida from nowhere in 2000. Most times they would have used their jazz to neutralize our potent strikers.
Yekini, Musa scored them in their backyard and the goals were dubiously ruled out for no just cause. Thought someone should have raised that as mind game. Best wishes tomorrow. It might be Onyeka or Ajayi or Calvin but unknown.players have given us goals against them most times at AFCON. Only.exception was when Osaze and Okocha dealt with them 4 zero in 2002: okocha. Hope they proof me wring tomorrow.
This is a good attitude being shown by the gaffer – a mindset of hard work and determination, setting ourselves up on the basic presumption that this is going to be very tough (rightly or wrongly) we must only be concerned with getting proper ready to go to war! Whoever it is we are facing, this time it’s Bafana Bafana and we the boys must go in with the attitude that each must give of his very best and leave everything on the pitch that day – we only have 2 more high stakes games and after Bafana there’ll only be one – Let’s go out there and bring our A game! Oga Pajero the same goes to you too! I am not one of these that will be trying to tell you exactly how you should play or precisely who you must start but I would dearly love to see Yusuf from the start and maybe cameos for both Nacho and the other striker (Not Onuachu because we have seen him already)- let these two come on in the last 20 or so minutes to give them a run out as long as we’re winning – in fact I would also love to see Omeruoh, Musa and Bright also come on in the closing minutes as we close out the game – that would be a great use of the squad as we march on!
Let’s dub this game “Operation cool body with Bafana Milkshake)…Oya let’s goo!
Up the Super Eagles!
God bless Nigeria!
Ire o – in the words of Omo9ja!