How Eagles Can Avoid Defeat In Sierra Leone

By Ekene Dike

Sierra Leone stunned Nigeria by securing a 4-4 draw in the first leg of their double-header fixture after conceding four goals in the first thirty minutes of the game. The remarkable comeback has given Sierra Leone renewed confidence that they can pulverize Nigeria on home soil.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles were extremely complacent to allow a four goal margin slip away at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin. It’s usually an arduous task to win or draw a match away from home. In the event that Nigeria does not rectify the errors in the reverse fixture, Sierra Leone could capitalize on the loopholes at the expense of Gernt Rohr’s team.

What are the preventive measures which Nigeria can take?

• Play a more defensive formation: In the first leg, Nigeria played a 4-3-3 attacking formation, in a bid to score a lot of goals against the Leone stars. This time, it is going to be different as the home team will pressurize the defense. Hence, playing a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation will ensure a solid defense, where three defenders and two wing backs can repel any danger coming in from either the flanks or the middle.

• Making Substitutions At The Right Time: One of the blunders from the Nigerian technical staff in the first leg was introducing players into the game at the wrong time. The likes of Semi Ajayi and Kelechi Iheanacho who came on as substitutes had lesser impacts. Three goals were conceded when Semi Ajayi came on as a substitute. A good manager should know when to make use of substitutions that will be beneficial to his team.

• Maduka Okoye Should Be Given A Rest: Picking four balls out of your net could be psychologically harmful to any goalkeeper who wants to play against the same team in the next couple of days. Maduka Okoye was the goalkeeper in the below par performance friendlies against Algeria and Morocco and was included in the starting eleven against Sierra Leone. Gernt Rohr has to explore more goalkeeping options on the bench to replace the punctured goalkeeping confidence of Maduka Okoye. Most times, too much goals conceded dampens the goalkeeper’s spirit, leading to more errors between the sticks.

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