What Manner of Defence is Peseiro Putting Up for Zaidu?

[Dammy]

Zaidu offers little going forward. No good crosses, poor linkage with the strikers.

Zaidu's main role imho is to shore up the left side midfield especially with defensive sieve Iwobi. He is not really a left back but a left defensive midfielder.

Nigeria tends to play a deep defensive structure like this:

------------- Ajayi ---------- Ekong -------- Bassey ----------------------

------- Aina --------- Onyeka ----------- Iwobi --------- Zaidu ---------

------------ Simon ------------------------- Lookman ---------------------

--------------------------------Osihmen -------------------------------------

The danger of this formation is that it limits the scoring opportunities to counter-attacking play and isolates Osihmen.


I wonder why Paseiro does not revert to a regular 4-3-3 by pushing Zaidu to the left back and moving Frank Onyeka to the left and Aina to the right.

Something like this will probably create more chances from the midfield without losing the midfield defensive shield:

---- Ajayi ------ Ekong -------- Bassey ------- Zaidu -----

------ Aina -------------- Iwobi ------------- Onyeka -------

----- Simon --------- Osihmen --------- Lookman ---------

It’s ironic because Zaidu played several games as a left winger from his former club, Santa Clara. He attacked very well from the left and put in good crosses

[airwolex]

I have watched the game again. Zaidu is phenomenal in his workrate and positional sense. His defending is above average and so is his attacking. Where he is frustrating is his final ball and decision making in offensive situations. All in all, he is vital to the way we play.

[maceo4]

I have watched the game again. Zaidu is phenomenal in his workrate and positional sense. His defending is above average and so is his attacking. Where he is frustrating is his final ball and decision making in offensive situations. All in all, he is vital to the way we play.

His speed is ridiculous too both in attack and recovery. We just have to live with his final ball for now…

[airwolex]

I have watched the game again. Zaidu is phenomenal in his workrate and positional sense. His defending is above average and so is his attacking. Where he is frustrating is his final ball and decision making in offensive situations. All in all, he is vital to the way we play.

His speed is ridiculous too both in attack and recovery. We just have to live with his final ball for now…

Blazing speed, incredible stamina. If he was better offensively and a bit of a better tackler, he would be Ashley Cole status. For us he is absolutely key!

[Goldleaf]

Is he saying he's a left back [in his club] and cannot cope with the speed of being wing back?

Or it's the owngoal writeup that lacks clarity?

For me, it would seem Zaidu is not bad defensively but just pants going forward

https://owngoalnigeria.com/2024/02/02/w ... left-back/

Zaidu Sanusi needs to spend time watching the likes of Roberto Carlos and Celestine Babayaro in their forward forays and improve on his game.

[aruako1]

Good player but needs to calm down in attack. I also heard that he might have been playing through injury

[sarkin doya]

It's not easy to cover 8 miles per game and Zaidu does that very well. Have y'all noticed that when the S Eagles are attacking, he is always up there with the attackers? It takes an immense amount of stamina to do that. And obviously when you have more players in attack, it makes it harder for the opposing team to defend the play.

The guy is an awesome defender and a player who always supports the attack. Also, keep in mind that Nigeria’s 3-4-3 system is quite hard to execute without players like Zaidu who have the stamina and fitness to be where they are supposed to be depending on the phase of the play.

If Zaidu works on his finishing, he’d be one of our highest goal scorers. He’s always in dangerous areas but he can’t finish for lick.

He’s a good defender though

For sure Zaidu missed a handful of chances but then again, he is not the only one. A number of headers that Osimhen missed one wonders if he should have put them away ... and this for the best player on the SE. Also, Onyeka killed a few birds a la Okocha with some of his shots ... including one which Lookman setup for him today. Aina is one of the best crossers of the ball for SE. Moses Simon has also improved his crosses tremendously the last few years

[Enugu II]

I have watched the game again. Zaidu is phenomenal in his workrate and positional sense. His defending is above average and so is his attacking. Where he is frustrating is his final ball and decision making in offensive situations. All in all, he is vital to the way we play.

Take abow, my brother. You are indeed watching closely. Nothing else to add.

[onovo]

It's not easy to cover 8 miles per game and Zaidu does that very well. Have y'all noticed that when the S Eagles are attacking, he is always up there with the attackers? It takes an immense amount of stamina to do that. And obviously when you have more players in attack, it makes it harder for the opposing team to defend the play.

The guy is an awesome defender and a player who always supports the attack. Also, keep in mind that Nigeria’s 3-4-3 system is quite hard to execute without players like Zaidu who have the stamina and fitness to be where they are supposed to be depending on the phase of the play.

If Zaidu works on his finishing, he’d be one of our highest goal scorers. He’s always in dangerous areas but he can’t finish for lick.

He’s a good defender though

For sure Zaidu missed a handful of chances but then again, he is not the only one. A number of headers that Osimhen missed one wonders if he should have put them away ... and this for the best player on the SE. Also, Onyeka killed a few birds a la Okocha with some of his shots ... including one which Lookman setup for him today. Aina is one of the best crossers of the ball for SE. Moses Simon has also improved his crosses tremendously the last few years

These are example of the little things @Danfo was talking about, that prevent our players from reaching word class level. Imagine if Zaidu has good crosses like even Aina and a good/better finishing and good ball control. Trust me, he would be in the league of Babayaro, Carlos, Jordi Alba, etc. Zaidu has a blistering pace and an immense work rate and solid defensivey. The little little things are what I see lacking in his game. I criticize him because I believe he can do more.

As for Simon, Yes his crosses/final ball has tremendously improve !