As the Super Eagles of Nigeria get set to take on Guinea in their second group game of the ongoing 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Owngoalnigeria.com takes a look at the five things they must do if they want to beat Guinea and book a place in the knock out stage of the competition.
1. Drop Mikel – Although many will say he should be played as the deep lying playmaker, the brave decision that will get the team going against Guinea will be to drop the influential captain as he sometimes slow the team down due to his apparent lack of pace. The trio of Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo and Alex Iwobi are not doubt the best for the game where pace will be key.
2. Start Musa & Ighalo – The duo changed the dynamics of the Burundi game in favor of Nigeria after coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 win with Odion Ighalo scoring the lone goal of the game. Ahmed Musa’s pace however unsettled the Burundians and more of same against Guinea will no doubt give the team an edge.
3. Defend Deep In The Box – From the 2-2 draw Guinea played against Madagascar in their opening game it’s clear to see that they will like to exploit space behind the defence of Nigeria and the antidote to this is for the back four of Nigeria to deny them space by defending deep in their own half preferably in the box.
4. Make Use Of Set Piece – One area which the Super Eagles of Nigeria could use against Guinea is set pieces. Nigeria will have to make better use of freekicks around the box and also corner kicks during the course of the game.
5. Balls And Bodies In The Box – Against Burundi Paul Onuachu was left isolated in attack, something they addressed in the second half and it paid off with Ahmed Musa decoy run taking the attention off Odion Ighalo who ran onto a slick backheel pass from Ola Aina to net the winner for Nigeria, more of same will come in handy for the Nigerian team.
