Five ways Keshi can improve the Super Eagles' attack

Nigeria's turgid attacking display against Iran means changes must be made for tonight's crunch game against Bosnia.

ANALYSIS
By Solace Chukwu

The Super Eagles have a fight on their hands tonight against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cuiaba.

In the group opener against Iran, this team’s struggles in the attacking third were clear for all to see. It is not a new problem, Nigeria had problems breaking down the likes of Namibia, Kenya and Malawi in qualifying.

This time, there is little margin for error, so here are some ways Stephen Keshi can get his attack firing again.

 Ameobi | Will the target man be called upon again?

Resist the urge to play route-oneThe Super Eagles' attacking strategy against Iran consisted, almost entirely, of long punts from deep in midfield. Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel was the chief culprit, playing a team-high 18% of his passes long (via Opta). The team has got to show more composure in central areas and more variety in its attacking play.
It is telling that in 52 minutes against Team Melli, Victor Moses only touched the ball 16 times and played six passes, in spite of the fact he carries the team’s creative burden higher up the pitch. The ball was not being spread to the wide areas often enough, even Ahmed Musa only got 30 touches in 90 minutes. These stats, from a team that finished the game with 69% of the possession, are frankly shocking.

Against Bosnia, the team must be patient and wait for the inevitable openings. Discipline and composure will be absolutely vital. Unlike Bosnia, this is not Nigeria's tournament debut. The Super Eagles must ensure it is the Dragons, not them, who will be guilty of schoolboy errors in this high-pressure encounter.
On a related subject...
Attack with widthA look at the Super Eagles’ average positions against Iran shows partly why Nigeria struggled to break Iran down. Moses and Musa usually ended up in very central areas trying to influence the play, as a result of the midfield’s basic, direct approach.
Against Bosnia, there has to be width in attack to stretch the defence laterally across the pitch. This creates space in the middle and opens gaps for runners to exploit from midfield. Attack this narrowly an d you make it too easy for opposing defenders.
As a creative weapon, width can be just as important as flair. Also, considering how deep Iran sat and how deep Mikel and Ogenyi Onazi were, the full-backs should surely have been more adventurous . instead, they rarely crossed half-way!

Mikel | Could tonight be his night?

Get Mikel into more advanced positionsWhatever you think of Mikel’s abilities, he remains the heartbeat of the Nigerian team. As befits the no.10 shirt he wears, the team looks to him to provide the sprinkling of gold dust required in tight situations.
Sadly he spent much of the game against Iran in very deep areas in and around the centre circle, surely not where you want your no.10 to be.
Without the ball, he pairs Onazi in a double pivot to provide security, but in the attacking phase he surely has to be more adventurous than he was on Monday. The cool, calm play under pressure we have come to expect from Mikel was surprisingly absent.
Chelsea fans have long criticised Mikel for his unambitious play and positioning, and while that is somewhat understandable at Stamford Bridge where he plays the holding role, surely not here with the Super Eagles when he has Onazi taking the knocks for him.
A look at where his passes where played from sums it up really.
Find Emenike in the channels
Nigeria’s best passage of play on Monday came in the first ten minutes. Rather than punting the ball aimlessly in the general direction of the penalty box, there were measured passes into the left channel for Emenike to chase. The Fenerbahce man relishes this, because it enables him isolate a defender one-on-one and use his powerful running to good effect.
It created the game’s best opening, as he squared for Ahmed Musa in the six-yard box in the 8th minute. The pass was slightly behind, but the idea was right. Why this did not happen again for the rest of the game, we will never know.
What is clear and undeniable though is that when you play a lone striker, it is essential that you play to his strengths.

On a related subject...Emenike | Valuable if used correctly

Play to your strengths
We saw yesterday how a well-drilled team that sticks to what it is good at can upset the establishment (Italy are still smarting from their shock loss to Costa Rica).

Three centre-backs, none of whom are especially world-class, bring safety in numbers. This also enables attack-minded wing-backs license to move forward, while the solid but unspectacular duo of Yeltsin Tejeda and Celso Borges simply Bryan Ruiz and Christian Bolanos the creative reins.
Hardly revolutionary, but it works a treat because the system exploits the strengths of the personnel available.
What the Super Eagles have going for them is great pace in attack and power in the middle. In order to progress, it is important to leverage on these advantages. Find Musa and Moses quickly in space on attacking transitions and get runners into the box to support Emenike.
A great team is one that is better than the sum of its parts. Playing to the strengths of your best players is a perfect strategy to turn an unheralded team into a surprise package. Just ask Costa Rica!