The Super Eagles of Nigeria began their AFCON 2024 group stage match with a strong lineup that made fan's believe that Jose Peseiro would adapt a possession style of football or better still, a tiki taka style of play. The Super Eagles first AFCON match which was against Equatorial Guinea ended 1-1, and just as expected, the Super Eagles dominated possession and also recorded the highest number of shots as well as shots on target.
Looking at the Super Eagles next matches, it is quite obvious that Jose Peseiro was slowly deploying a secret tactics, which was the counter attack playstyle. It took fans a while to realise this until the knockout game against Cameroon which ended 2-0. The Super Eagles with the help of Osimhen effectively executed this tactics to the surprise of Cameroon who would have expected a deeper style of football from the Super Eagles.
The Super Eagles might find it difficult to defeat Angola if they use their counter attack playstyle because:
1. Angola Have Mastered The Tactics Better: Angola who finished first in their group never dominated possession in any group stage match, and still managed to score 6 goals. Angola also recorded a 3-0 victory over Namibia in the Round of 16, despite being dominated in possession.
2. Angola's Tight Defense: Angola might not have the best defense in the competition, however, they have conceded just three goals in four AFCON matches. The Super Eagles are yet to form a strong attack lineup, hence playing a counter attack playstyle would be useless in this game because it would be harder to break into Angola's defense.
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