Expect Desperate Bosnia – Ex-stars Warn Keshi, Praise Osaze
There will be nothing to hold back for Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina when both sides meet later tonight to fight their ways back into contention at the World Cup. The battle, set for the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, will be the first between the two sides as they seek their first victory in Brazil.
While Nigeria could only settle for a goalless draw against Iran in their opening game, Bosnia-Herzegovina fell 2-1 to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina, making a win in today’s game a must if they must remain in the tournament.
“They’ll be desperate,” former Nigeria midfielder Friday Ekpo said. “They’ll be desperate to secure a win because they have no points. Nigeria should expect a difficult match.”
Ekpo considers Bosnia as a more organised side that the Super Eagles as he identified the Nigeria midfield as the weakest link in the team.
“The Bosnians are better organised than Nigeria in their respective first games, they played as a unit. They know with just one goal over Nigeria they have a chance of making it to the knock-out stage,” he said.
“The Super Eagles have to change their mentality in all departments if they must compete well against Bosnia. Nigeria have a point already, so the players know that with three points from the Bosnia game, they’re as good as advancing to the second round.
“If Nigeria must beat Bosnia, coach Stephen Keshi must work on the midfield. They were poorly organised against Iran and such display against Bosnia could spell doom for the team. The problem with the attackers started from the midfield; there was a disconnect between the two departments.”
Another former international, Waidi Akanni, who is in Brazil to watch the team, described the Super Eagles as average in their first game. He warned that such performance could get them punished at the hands of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“Bosnia will be better opponents technically and physically; they’ve got experience too,” Akanni said in a email.
“A point against Iran is definitely not good with the likes of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina in the same group. The next games will be very important and they must be won. This situation has definitely put pressure on the teams.
“My opinion is that Keshi should improve on the team selection against Bosnia. If selection is improved then Bosnia will not find it easy against us. I’ll also advise that the team put away the Iran loss and concentrate on Bosnia; they should also forget about what it would be like facing Argentina.”
When Keshi came out in post-match to single out Osaze Odemwingie as not playing to instruction when he came on as a substitute against Iran, the former internationals exonerated the Stoke City forward.
Ekpo said, “I wouldn’t blame Osaze in that game. He must have been given instructions, as Keshi pointed out, but every player has the ability to adapt to situations on the pitch. The coach’s instruction comes first, but it is left for the player to determine how to beat his markers and find his way to the goal area.
“Also, Keshi should define a proper role for Mikel Obi. At Chelsea, he plays as a defensive midfielder but he is expected to play more up front in the national team. There were instances in the game against Iran where Mikel mixed up his role thereby creating complications in the midfield.”
Akanni also gave the thumbs up to Odemwingie. “I commend players like (Emmanuel) Emenike, Osaze (Odemwingie) and (Vincent) Enyeama. It is important they continue with the level of performance they had in their first game and, of course, it’s my wish that the players will appreciate the support given them by Nigerians by beating Bosnia and getting a result against Argentina in order to progress.”
While Nigeria could only settle for a goalless draw against Iran in their opening game, Bosnia-Herzegovina fell 2-1 to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina, making a win in today’s game a must if they must remain in the tournament.
“They’ll be desperate,” former Nigeria midfielder Friday Ekpo said. “They’ll be desperate to secure a win because they have no points. Nigeria should expect a difficult match.”
Ekpo considers Bosnia as a more organised side that the Super Eagles as he identified the Nigeria midfield as the weakest link in the team.
“The Bosnians are better organised than Nigeria in their respective first games, they played as a unit. They know with just one goal over Nigeria they have a chance of making it to the knock-out stage,” he said.
“The Super Eagles have to change their mentality in all departments if they must compete well against Bosnia. Nigeria have a point already, so the players know that with three points from the Bosnia game, they’re as good as advancing to the second round.
“If Nigeria must beat Bosnia, coach Stephen Keshi must work on the midfield. They were poorly organised against Iran and such display against Bosnia could spell doom for the team. The problem with the attackers started from the midfield; there was a disconnect between the two departments.”
Another former international, Waidi Akanni, who is in Brazil to watch the team, described the Super Eagles as average in their first game. He warned that such performance could get them punished at the hands of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“Bosnia will be better opponents technically and physically; they’ve got experience too,” Akanni said in a email.
“A point against Iran is definitely not good with the likes of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina in the same group. The next games will be very important and they must be won. This situation has definitely put pressure on the teams.
“My opinion is that Keshi should improve on the team selection against Bosnia. If selection is improved then Bosnia will not find it easy against us. I’ll also advise that the team put away the Iran loss and concentrate on Bosnia; they should also forget about what it would be like facing Argentina.”
When Keshi came out in post-match to single out Osaze Odemwingie as not playing to instruction when he came on as a substitute against Iran, the former internationals exonerated the Stoke City forward.
Ekpo said, “I wouldn’t blame Osaze in that game. He must have been given instructions, as Keshi pointed out, but every player has the ability to adapt to situations on the pitch. The coach’s instruction comes first, but it is left for the player to determine how to beat his markers and find his way to the goal area.
“Also, Keshi should define a proper role for Mikel Obi. At Chelsea, he plays as a defensive midfielder but he is expected to play more up front in the national team. There were instances in the game against Iran where Mikel mixed up his role thereby creating complications in the midfield.”
Akanni also gave the thumbs up to Odemwingie. “I commend players like (Emmanuel) Emenike, Osaze (Odemwingie) and (Vincent) Enyeama. It is important they continue with the level of performance they had in their first game and, of course, it’s my wish that the players will appreciate the support given them by Nigerians by beating Bosnia and getting a result against Argentina in order to progress.”
Comments
Post a Comment