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Finidi George's hope of taking the Super Eagles reigns suffered a setback after a defeat to Mali in Morocco.
Nigeria's 2-0 defeat to Mali in their final game of the international window exposed some tactical shortcomings from interim Super Eagles boss Finidi George.
Here are three decisions the former Ajax and Real Betis superstar winger got wrong against their West African brothers.
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00:06 - 27.03.2024
Finidi George’s Super Eagles dream takes a major blow as Mali stun Nigeria
Finidi George’s hopes of taking the Nigeria Men’s national team job permanently suffered a setback after the Super Eagles lost to the Eagles of Mali.
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09:09 - 27.03.2024
Why we lost to Mali: Omeruo opens up on Super Eagles disappointing friendly defeat
Kenneth Omeruo has revealed the reason why the Super Eagles of Nigeria lost 2-0 to Mali on Tuesday night.
The Super Eagles should have started with a striker
Finidi's decision to leave out a target man and start with Moses Simon and Kelechi Iheanacho as a 'false nine' pairing backfired.
The duo lacked a physical presence to hold the ball and bring others into play. Simon squandered a glorious chance to equalise for Nigeria’s Super Eagles before being forced off injured.
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Using at least one out-and-out striker, with Umar Sadiq also on the bench but ignored for both matches, would have given Nigeria a focal point in attack.
Timid and Conservative Substitutions
Audition for the vacant job or not, the Enyimba coach was overly conservative with his substitutions - making just two outfield changes all game.
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Finidi missed an opportunity to experiment more and give untested players a chance to impress.
With so many European stars absent, these games were the ideal time to hand valuable experience to fringe members of the squad. Finidi played it too safe on this occasion.
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Lack of Pressing Intensity
Nigeria's normally intense pressing was notably lacking in the first half especially, which allowed Mali to play out from the back with ease.
The Super Eagles struggled to disrupt their opponents' rhythm and this allowed the Eagles of Mali to cause problems.
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The front players needed to provide more support to the midfield in implementing a high press. As a result, Mali could pick secure passes into the Nigerian half too comfortably.
While the 2-0 scoreline flattered Mali given the defensive errors, Finidi will need to learn quickly from this experience if he wants to land the permanent Super Eagles job. Getting the basics right from the start will be crucial going forward.
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