My concern about the SA game.

[1naija]

Chippa United could give South Africa tips about Nwabali's weaknesses.

My happiness is that I have never seen a more focused SE team as this team. Someone will have to beat us because we won't beat ourselves as in the past. So SA better pack lunch cause it's going to be a long day on Wednesday. I say bring on any team, we are ready.

[jungle-jawara]

The good thing about the semis is that the SAs don't have to pack their bags. They get to wait and play the loser's final after they loose to the super eagles.

[davidbam14]

Chippa United could give South Africa tips about Nwabali's weaknesses.

My happiness is that I have never seen a more focused SE team as this team. Someone will have to beat us because we won't beat ourselves as in the past. So SA better pack lunch cause it's going to be a long day on Wednesday. I say bring on any team, we are ready.

South Africa would still have to find a way pass our defenders to test Nwabili's weaknesses and I don't think that's about to happen anytime soon.

[ohenhen1]

Both sides have strengths and weaknesses. It is going to be a tough game. But it is Nigeria game to lose.

[vancity eagle]

My only concern is if we go to penalties.

Then we are done.

Peseiro needs to be more proactive in an attacking sense. This 343 cannot work forever. Especially against weaker teams, we need to come out and attack,without being reckless.

I also hope Peseiro knows that this 343 isn't going to work for WCQ. That is a recipe to get a bunch of draws.

[Babadee]

My concern is that they are a pack the bus team and will play for a draw. Knowing that in they have a penalty stopper in post.

If Peseiro practices set pieces and shots outside of the box. I trust osimhen or lookman will get followup.

also Zaidu and Aina get chances but squander them.

Iwobi will be very key in this game.

[vancity eagle]

Peseiro is getting too comfortable playing one way.

I suspect SA will park the bus, their coach is not a fool. They will sit back.

It's up to us to force the issue, and with Peseiro too comfortable with this compact formation, I am worried. I believe this will be the first match Peseiro will be FORCED to change formation and tactics. Will he pass the test ?

Remember in 2021 our offense was clicking in the first round until it was rendered ineffective and useless against Tunisia.

I forsee something similar. Peseiro better be ready to improvise and not be so rigid.

Liberating Iwobi from his garbage duties will be key for this match IMO. I've been saying it.

[packerland]

Peseiro is getting too comfortable playing one way.

I suspect SA will park the bus, their coach is not a fool. They will sit back.

It's up to us to force the issue, and with Peseiro too comfortable with this compact formation, I am worried. I believe this will be the first match Peseiro will be FORCED to change formation and tactics. Will he pass the test ?

Remember in 2021 our offense was clicking in the first round until it was rendered ineffective and useless against Tunisia.

I forsee something similar. Peseiro better be ready to improvise and not be so rigid.

Liberating Iwobi from his garbage duties will be key for this match IMO. I've been saying it.

I feel the same way but I won’t change anything until half time. The worst thing for a team that packs the bus is that once they concede a goal they often find it hard to equalize. It’s a mindset thing. Then we can kill the game off from counters.

[onovo]

My only concern is if we go to penalties.

Then we are done.

Peseiro needs to be more proactive in an attacking sense. This 343 cannot work forever. Especially against weaker teams, we need to come out and attack,without being reckless.

I also hope Peseiro knows that this 343 isn't going to work for WCQ. That is a recipe to get a bunch of draws.

I understand your point. South Africa will try all they can to drag that match into a penalty as that would be the best thing to do since they have a keeper advantage. Although as it stands the only person we can sacrifice in the starting line-up is Zaidu. I would rather he is replaced with Alhassan Yusuf. Zaidu offers little to the attack.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Peseiro is getting too comfortable playing one way.

I suspect SA will park the bus, their coach is not a fool. They will sit back.

It's up to us to force the issue, and with Peseiro too comfortable with this compact formation, I am worried. I believe this will be the first match Peseiro will be FORCED to change formation and tactics. Will he pass the test ?

Remember in 2021 our offense was clicking in the first round until it was rendered ineffective and useless against Tunisia.

I forsee something similar. Peseiro better be ready to improvise and not be so rigid.

Liberating Iwobi from his garbage duties will be key for this match IMO. I've been saying it.

Have you ever seen a team change the way they play at the semis of a major tournament just because it’s working so well and the team is comfortable with it? Pls tell us because all you ever see is doom.

[Dammy]

Peseiro is getting too comfortable playing one way.

I suspect SA will park the bus, their coach is not a fool. They will sit back.

It's up to us to force the issue, and with Peseiro too comfortable with this compact formation, I am worried. I believe this will be the first match Peseiro will be FORCED to change formation and tactics. Will he pass the test ?

Remember in 2021 our offense was clicking in the first round until it was rendered ineffective and useless against Tunisia.

I forsee something similar. Peseiro better be ready to improvise and not be so rigid.

Liberating Iwobi from his garbage duties will be key for this match IMO. I've been saying it.

Have you ever seen a team change the way they play at the semis of a major tournament just because it’s working so well and the team is comfortable with it? Pls tell us because all you ever see is doom.

Thanks Emir, we have a system that’s working in this AFCON and has got us to the SF, yet some folks think we should change it!
AFCON is different from the WCQs and I’m sure the team will play a different system in the WCQs.
Folks just want change for the sake of it. The current system has given us defensive assurance which we didn’t have before and there’s no reason to change it

[airwolex]

We are a bad matchup for them. Like Mali but with better strikers.

My one fear is Mokoena. That dude has a bullet of a shot. Apart from that their strikers, Evidence and Tau, though skillful are not dynamic. Their right fullback is also suspect to me.

[iworo]

Peseiro is getting too comfortable playing one way.

I suspect SA will park the bus, their coach is not a fool. They will sit back.

It's up to us to force the issue, and with Peseiro too comfortable with this compact formation, I am worried. I believe this will be the first match Peseiro will be FORCED to change formation and tactics. Will he pass the test ?

Remember in 2021 our offense was clicking in the first round until it was rendered ineffective and useless against Tunisia.

I forsee something similar. Peseiro better be ready to improvise and not be so rigid.

Liberating Iwobi from his garbage duties will be key for this match IMO. I've been saying it.

Have you ever seen a team change the way they play at the semis of a major tournament just because it’s working so well and the team is comfortable with it? Pls tell us because all you ever see is doom.

Thanks Emir, we have a system that’s working in this AFCON and has got us to the SF, yet some folks think we should change it!
AFCON is different from the WCQs and I’m sure the team will play a different system in the WCQs.
Folks just want change for the sake of it. The current system has given us defensive assurance which we didn’t have before and there’s no reason to change it

Well said.

[tedder89]

Chippa United could give South Africa tips about Nwabali's weaknesses.

My happiness is that I have never seen a more focused SE team as this team. Someone will have to beat us because we won't beat ourselves as in the past. So SA better pack lunch cause it's going to be a long day on Wednesday. I say bring on any team, we are ready.

South Africa would still have to find a way pass our defenders to test Nwabili's weaknesses and I don't think that's about to happen anytime soon.

Against Angola, for the first time since the EG game we allowed the opposition a few chances the first early on from the corner and then later on when extreme fatigue set in

SA will be much less adventurous than Angola but we’ll still create chances as we always do, if we can score a couple then it’s lights out

If it stays 0-0 I would worry about fatigue and this is where the changes HAVE to be made early in the second half to change the game

I just don’t fancy us in a penalty shootout

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

I’ve watched the SA vs Angola and Morocco again,Yes SA is a good team no doubt. However, if they allow the number of headers they allows in those matches vs SE it’ll be lights out and probably a Nepemstyle grid failure for them. Cape V had a couple point blank headers that Vic, Ajayi and Bassey would likely put away. I’m sure Pesseiro has noticed that too. For SE, my main concern is the pocket of space that always seems to be available in front of Iwobi and Onyeaka that could allow Mokeona to shoot his powerful shots.

[vancity eagle]

Peseiro is getting too comfortable playing one way.

I suspect SA will park the bus, their coach is not a fool. They will sit back.

It's up to us to force the issue, and with Peseiro too comfortable with this compact formation, I am worried. I believe this will be the first match Peseiro will be FORCED to change formation and tactics. Will he pass the test ?

Remember in 2021 our offense was clicking in the first round until it was rendered ineffective and useless against Tunisia.

I forsee something similar. Peseiro better be ready to improvise and not be so rigid.

Liberating Iwobi from his garbage duties will be key for this match IMO. I've been saying it.

Have you ever seen a team change the way they play at the semis of a major tournament just because it’s working so well and the team is comfortable with it? Pls tell us because all you ever see is doom.

We can keep the same.

But if we aren't up by halftime, I would change to a more attacking formation with the main change being an ADVANCED Iwobi with added midfield cover behind him in Yusuf.

We need our attack to be more dynamic and it starts with Iwobi adding creativity in an advanced role through the middle.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Peseiro is getting too comfortable playing one way.

I suspect SA will park the bus, their coach is not a fool. They will sit back.

It's up to us to force the issue, and with Peseiro too comfortable with this compact formation, I am worried. I believe this will be the first match Peseiro will be FORCED to change formation and tactics. Will he pass the test ?

Remember in 2021 our offense was clicking in the first round until it was rendered ineffective and useless against Tunisia.

I forsee something similar. Peseiro better be ready to improvise and not be so rigid.

Liberating Iwobi from his garbage duties will be key for this match IMO. I've been saying it.

Have you ever seen a team change the way they play at the semis of a major tournament just because it’s working so well and the team is comfortable with it? Pls tell us because all you ever see is doom.

We can keep the same.

But if we aren't up by halftime, I would change to a more attacking formation with the main change being an ADVANCED Iwobi with added midfield cover behind him in Yusuf.

We need our attack to be more dynamic and it starts with Iwobi adding creativity in an advanced role through the middle.

Creating chances hasn’t been the problem. Its finishing and that has nothing to do with formation.

[vancity eagle]

The chances have been getting less and less by each game we play.

However finishing has improved.

We are not creating enough IMO.

[Cito]

SA isn’t a team that parks the bus and trying to do that in this game will be their undoing.
I highly doubt their coach will be dumb enough to try to sit back waiting for penalties.

That’s a very harebrained thought.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

SA isn’t a team that packs the bus and trying to that in this game will be their undoing.
I highly doubt their coach will be dumb enough to try to sit back waiting for penalties.

That’s a very harebrained thought.

Don’t assume is won’t work. The teams that we had the most success vs SE recently have all parked the bus.There’s was indication that the score would’ve changed if those games had gone on for 30 mins more.

[spastic]

It's hard to find national teams that park the bus. Especially in a tournament. Most teams think they can win on their day. And they play that way no matter what. SA will not park the bus. They'll play an open game.

We have to try to create more chances. And continue to be clinical with our finishing.

[Baii]

My O my, I truly miss SUYA (May his Soul Rest In Peace)
He would have been calling the South African Embassy by now.

[donadoni]

Are we better than SA in every department of the game?