Former
Nigeria midfielder, Edema Fuludu, believes second-placed Super Eagles
can get the right result against group leaders Argentina on Wednesday
and advance to the next stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But the
Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner cautioned the Eagles against
man-marking Lionel Messi.
Nigeria have met the South Americans
thrice at the World Cup and they have been on the losing side on all
occasions. But they need at least a draw on Wednesday to advance to the
Round of 16 in Brazil.
Fuludu, who missed out on a place in the
1994 World Cup, said, “There is a glimmer of hope for us because we
upped our game against Bosnia. I wouldn’t say we were fantastic but we
were determined and we got the desired result.
“With what Iran did against Argentina on
Saturday, it shows they are not invincible. They couldn’t break Iran
until Lionel Messi sprung up with his magic in the 93rd minute. What we
need is a draw but it is not impossible to beat Argentina.”
“I believe we will qualify; the less people believe in Eagles, the more they stand a chance of winning.”
Messi has played a vital role in
Argentina’s two victories against Bosnia and Iran, grabbing the winners
but Fuludu says it will be costly for Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi to
deploy a particular player to mark the Barcelona superstar.
“Keshi has his own game plan but I dHe
said, on’t believe in assigning a particular player to Messi. If we do
that, then the other Argentines will be very free to run riot around us.
We should be able to master our zonal marking and close in when he
(Messi) tries to go to his left because that is his most lethal point;
that is where his power lies.
“If we can devise a way where two players
can close him immediately he gets the ball, or prevent him from
receiving passes in front of our 18-yard box, we are sure that we won’t
have a difficult game. But if we assign someone to him, surely the
player may get a card or two and that would be a big blow for us.”
The former Turkey-based player said the
Eagles would need a packed midfield to successfully check the Argentine
dangerous attackers such as Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria.
Fuludu said, “If I were Keshi,
considering the quality of players he has, I won’t sit back and defend
but I will pack my midfield and let Emmanuel Emenike and Osaze
Odemwingie run riot upfront while five players will be in midfield.
“If we can hold our midfield, the defence
can have a little respite. Vincent Enyeama has been wonderful, so I
believe we should attack them, push them back and secure a draw or a win
and advance to the next stage of the competition.”
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