I've been struggling for time and very nearly missed the game. In fact posting from Pepboys after a breakdown on the road...Car shop screwed me up first, then gave me a dud replacement vehicle which then broke down on the road with my black butt freezing on the roadside..
Quickly, the key issue in my humble opinion is what seems like the eventual recognition by the coaching crew of the qualities of the players they have, and not the ones they wish they had, especially in midfield.
Rather than struggle to use a playmaker, they seem to have finally recognized that what we have are vertical central midfielders, with Mikel as anchor, who has no need wandering upfield when he can influence attckin play from deep.
The second point is the expanded role of Emenike especially and Moses, which has rendered Musa surplus. The positions taken by Emenike in the game was brilliant. By taking up attacking positions in right central midfield, as well as out wide, it enabled the team vary its passes from midfield and defence. But in some ways this was constrained, or rather could have been even better if the team had a genuine right back with the pace to stretch play and attack the space created by Emenike's movement.
With three central midfielders, the Nigerian team essentially played a trivote, with a base 4-3-3 formation that would transit to a 4-3-2-1.
For the first time in the tournament, Moses really showed his true qualities, which is not your traditional winger, but a central winger, beginning from wide, but attacking the inside of the fullbacks, as well as drifting to the center to play from behind the lone striker.
Brown Ideye worked hard as the lone striker but can do better, especially in his lateral movement. I think that Moses especially needs to play more to Ideye's strengths and the team as a whole can use his qualities in running from the blindside of the central defenders.
This was easily the first complete performance of the Super Eagles under Stephen Keshi. For me, the best testimony from the game was that no one player stood out- the entire team did!
Once again, Omeruo proved his consistency, and has increasingly become vocal. But I do worry for Oboabona and the tendency of Echiejile to lose focus and stray out of position.
Against Mali, I look forward to the return of Ogude as part of the trivote...
Now my misery is dissapearing fast....
