The Super Eagles training session for today (Thursday, December 25) will be behind closed doors.
This was revealed by the team’s media officer Promise Efoghe.
According to Efoghe, head coach Eric Eric Chelle wants to keep the training session closed to help him prepare for Saturday’s clash with Tunisia.
He dislcosed that the official pre-match presser for the encounter will hold at Fes Stadium by 10.45am wih Chelle and Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi in attendance.
Also Read: AFCON 2025: Adams Backs Chelle To Come Up With Right Tactics To Overcome Tunisia
He said that the official training session which will take place by 6pm inside the Sardienne Complex will see the first 15 minutes open to the press.
Also, he stated that Paul Onuachu, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Francis Uzoho will talk to the press.
The Super Eagles will hope to make it two wins from two matches when they take on Tunisia on Saturday.
In their first encounter on Tuesday, the Eagles edged out Tanzania 2-1, thanks to goals from Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman.
By James Agberebi in Fes, Morocco
5 Comments
The coach should work more on the central.midfield position and the right back. Tunisia can easily take advantage of these weaknesses. Losing Super possession and 50/50 balls in the midfield is suicidal against a top side.
Iwobi is a creative attacking player. The coach should deploy him to play the free role and get a combative and modern day box to box midfielder to stabilize and dovetail with Ndidi.
The Tunisian coach may likely try to use same pattern as Congo DR., relying on loose balls from midfield and winning 50/50 balls.
I’ll recommend Ndidi and Fisayo/Onyeka (CAM), Iwobi should be given free role to attack.
Akor and Lookman can attack from either sides, Osi from the central.
Iwobi actually played left midfield against Tanzania where he operated deep and then would also support Ndidi from left defensive midfield. Personally, I think Ndidi and Iwobi have struck a workable partnership.
That said, I am keen to see how another midfielder will interpret that role.
Dele-Bashiru was used as a right attacking midfielder which, let’s face it, is not a radical departure from his primary role. He is still a midfielder, but just positioned more rightward rather than centrally.
Centrally, Chelle utilised Lookman who interchanged with Chukwueze in that match. Honestly, I don’t see Chelle altering this arrangement. I think he would have seen potentials in this approach and would want to give it time to germinate, to yield fruit.
Up front is likely again to be Osihmen and Akor Adams.
So, the diamond 4-4-2 (barring injuries) is likely to be more of the same.
– Nwabali in goal.
– Osayi-Samuel and Sanusi as fullbacks (but I think one of these two or even both will lose their place as the tournament progresses).
– Ajayi and Bassey as centre backs.
– Ndidi as the centre defensive midfielder but he will shift right to accommodate Iwobi whenever Iwobi needs to drop deep.
– Chukwueze as right attacking midfielder but he will interchange with Lookman in the middle.
– Iwobi as the left attacking midfielder but will increasingly fall deep to operate alongside Ndidi.
– Lookman as the centre attacking midfielder just behind the 2 centre forwards and he will also have a free role, interchanging with the support striker and the right attacking midfielder.
– Adams will be the support striker who often drops deep or drifts to the flanks.
– Osihmen the arrow head.
– Dele-Bashiru or Onyeka will likely come in to replace Chukwueze on the right side of midfield.
– Moses Simon will come in for Adams and will slot in the left. Now the formation sort to changes: Osihmen will be the sole centre forward, Lookman the centre attacking midfielder, Simon the left winger, Dele-Bashiru the reluctant right winger,
Iwobi now full on left defensive midfielder with Ndidi on the right.
Osihmen gives way to Onuachu and Iwobi gives way to Nnadi, Usman or Akinsemiro as deep lying midfields, much to the shegrin of some fans who feel any of these players should be playing high up the pitch. But with Dele-Bashiru and Moses Simon introduced and no appetite to remove Lookman (who is seen as a superstar player) it is hard to see where else, up front, to slot these players.
I see federick in ogbu and I think chelle shd try him in the RB position, play iwobi right behind the strikers, pair ebenezer with ndidi right in front of the back 4 except if ebenezer is not given what the coach want from him. My 4213 will look like this;
Nwabali
Ogbu. Ajayi. Bassey. Sanusi
Ndidi. Ebenezer
Iwobi
Akor. Osimhen. Lookman
This lineup can’t go wrong and Chelle shd give it a try, I would have love someone else at the LB but onyebuchi isn’t convincing as well so I will keep sanusi.
Yep, i totally agree.
BTW, I also trust that Nnadi can play that box to box role alongside Ndidi.
In fact, even without Ndidi, any 2 out of Onyeka, Onyedika. Bashiru, Nnadi and Akinsanmiro can handle business. I’m confident of this.
Let Iwobi play a free role closer to the opponent’s box.
Femi,
I like the idea that informs your formation as I think it can work better if Akinsanmiro is a centre left midfielder rather than an outright left defensive midfielder.
That said, what I have tried to do is second-guess the most likely formation that Chelle will use, the most likely personnel he will deploy, the most likely direction he will take and see how these in can be enhanced.
Chelle appeared to line up with a diamond 4-4-2 formation which looks like 4-1-2-1-2 in actuality.
In th course of the game, Iwobi drops deep for the shape to become 4-2-4 or 4-2-3-1.
Now, the problem many fans have it that, Iwobi drops deep for lengthy periods thereby leading to his more offensive attributes being underutilized.
Whilst I see the pain of these fans, I am also acutely aware of the concerns of Chelle in not wanting Ndidi to feel lonely.
And, I doubt Chelle will change course. So, rather that come up with fantasy formations, I will try to work with what we have.
I think Chelle should be smart enough to introduce another midfielder to replace Iwobi in like 55 minutes so we can see how another player can interpret the role differently.
That role, Left CM, Left DM, occasional Left AM that Iwobi plays is a role crucial to Nigeria’s success in this tournament. I think Iwobi did well, very well indeed, against Tanzania but something tells me that a player is languishing on the bench who can inject greater directness, precision, bite, dynamism and fluidity to that role if given the chance.
Dele-Bashiru, I think, I stand to be corrected though, is not feeling that Right AM, Right CM, Right WF role. I think he would rather operate from the middle or closer to the left but these positions preferred by him are saturated with other options preferred by Chelle. If Dele-Bashiru continues to feel out-of-state, out-of-place, out-of-sync in that position as he chose to be against Tanzania, I predict he runs the risk of losing his place in the team altogether.
There are players on this team who don’t mind being “played out of position”. Ability to be played out of position, and position oneself as a versatile player of repute in the Naira of success in international football.
I think one or both of our fullbacks are skating on thin ice. Zaidu’s dour deliveries zany and Osayi-Samuel always emit an air of “a substitute option”, never really able to stamp his authority.
Nwabali rarely rushes out even when this could have panicked opposition striker to shoot early and hit Nwabali or miss the target.
Anyway, good luck to the team.
It’s early doors but Lookman is proving that he has a tournament totting pistol that rarely misses the mark in big tournament, long may this continue.