Peseiro’s thoughts, overwhelming ball possession and near misses

The 1-1 result against Lesotho couldn’t have caught discerning fans of the Super Eagles unawares.

The games against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique highlighted two main issues. First, there is an apparent need for a midfielder who can create opportunities for the forwards. Second, there was a lack of urgency in the final third.

As many will have observed, in today’s football world, more ball possession does not always translate to victory.

Underdogs typically employ a low block tactic and aim to score first, making it challenging for the team to monopolise the ball.

The inability of Jose Peseiro and the NFF to get to grips with the challenge manifested itself against Lesotho. On Thursday against the 153rd-ranked Crocodiles, the lack of foresight, strategic thinking, and planning came back to bite where it hurts most.

Late Johan Cruyff’s idea of football is the use of space against the opponent, but this can go either way. Lesotho’s strategy against Nigeria on Thursday involved using and denying space, especially in goal-scoring areas.

The Match

Peseiro started with four forwards: Kelechi Iheanacho, Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface, and Taiwo Awoniyi. There are questions about why the Portuguese chose this tactic.

Two midfield grifters, Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi, backed these forwards up, and it was a disaster waiting to happen. Iheanacho was the designated ball-playing forward who was supposed to fall back into midfield areas and create.

Nigeria should have taken the lead on 36 minutes when Boniface cut back for Awoniyi, who contrived to miss from four yards. In the 41st minute, Lookman pounced on a loose ball in the box and failed to pick the correct pass to either Awoniyi or Iheanacho for a tap-in.

Lesotho almost conceded an own goal from Motlomelo Mkhwanazi in the 43rd minute, but the goal-bound effort was cleared on the goal line.

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Lookman’s effort was parried for a corner in the 45th minute as the Eagles sought to break the deadlock. In the second half, goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane made an excellent save from Iwobi’s shot to keep the Eagles from scoring.

Disaster struck in the 55th minute when Mkhwanazi jumped the highest and his header beat Jamie Collins on the line. There were strident Nigerian shouts for a penalty in the 62nd minute, but Tunisian referee Mehrez Malki correctly waved away the protests. Iheanacho hit the post. Ajayi finally got Nigeria’s equaliser from one of the 13 corner kicks on the day in the 66th minute.

Substitute Joe Aribo had Nigeria’s last chance, but he failed to connect with a header from a floated Calvin Bassey pass. After the six minutes added on, the Crocodiles proved their stand against their better-ranked opponents.

The Eagles did not under-rate Lesotho

It was not a matter of under-rating the lower-ranked Lesotho, insisted Semi Ajayi in the post-match press conference.

Ajayi said, “Absolutely not. We took this game very seriously; we gave our best; we didn’t take them lightly.

“We prepared for the game as we prepare for every game. I think we’re just unfortunate not to take a few chances, but we’ll learn from this, and we’ll definitely come back stronger in the next game,” added Ajayi, whose first-ever Eagles goal gave the Nigerian team a point.

Peseiro’s thoughts

Peserio relayed after the match that his team’s failure was in not taking the chances they created. “76 per cent of the ball possession against 24 per cent. We had many opportunities to score; the opponents had two shots on goal and scored one goal.

“I am sad, of course; I’m not happy. I was also disappointed, but my team tried to do the maximum. I’m sad because of the result, but about the performance, the other team stayed in the back ninety minutes [and] went in front three or four times.”

Peseiro revealed he will sit down with his forwards before their next game on Sunday against Zimbabwe.

“Today we created. Boniface with two or three times with the head, Taiwo, other players, Kelechi, and many other situations. What I can do is speak with my guys to be more concentrated and focused for finishing.”

Despite Peseiro’s objections, his tactical set-up has left more unresolved questions than answers. Having analysed Lesotho’s recent match against Cote d’Ivoire, Peseiro would have noted the team’s defensive compactness, particularly in defensive zones.

The Leslie Notsi-coached Lesotho team aims to restrict opponents and advance in phases during their encounters, as evidenced by their scoring in one of these phases on Thursday.

The only positive from the 1-1 result is the Super Eagles now know they have to double their efforts if they will snag the sole World Cup ticket in Group C.