Five tactical tweaks Jose Peseiro must make in blockbuster clash against Ivory Coast

A stern test awaits Nigeria with familiar foes Cote d'Ivoire in their second group game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Having come unstuck in a 1-1 draw against  Equatorial Guinea in the first match, manager Jose Peseiro cannot afford to stick rigidly to flawed formulas this time.

With Cote d'Ivoire boasting compactness in defense, speed and clinical instincts in attack, Peseiro must move quickly to shore up Nigeria's backbone.

Meanwhile unleashing his enviable arsenal of forwards requires the right balanced platform.

Here are 5 tactical tweaks the Portuguese tactician must make to outfox Cote d'Ivoire and get their AFCON campaign back on track: 

1. Shore up central defence

Cote d'Ivoire's attacking trio of Nicolas Pepe, Sebastian Haller and Jeremie Boga carry game-breaking qualities demanding concentrated defending.

As such, Peseiro would be wise to install a more reliable center-back pairing of William Troost-Ekong and Calvin Bassey straight away.

Their aerial prowess, positional sense and recovery pace equip them best to counteract Cote d'Ivoire's individual brilliance.

2. Unleash refreshing fullback threats

Getting caught short in wide areas hampered Nigeria previously. To solve this, Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi must be granted license to attack as flying fullbacks.

Both are supremely comfortable in advanced areas and offer much-needed width to stretch Cote d'Ivoire laterally.

3. Add steel and energy to midfield

Against Cote d'Ivoire's projected midfield triangle of Ibrahim Sangaré, Seko Fofana and Franck Kessié, Peseiro must reinforce his midfield spine.

The tireless running of Alhassan Yusuf alongside either Frank Onyeka's combativeness or Alex Iwobi's technique presents the best solution to compete through the middle. 

4. Playing with two center forwards

Rather than persisting with pairing a lone striker with a wideman as seen in the first game, pairing talisman Victor Osimhen alongside Paul Onuachu would immediately test an uncertain Ivorian center-back pairing.

Osimhen's pace and movement combines ideally with Onuachu's size, strength and aerial threat for a striker partnership with everything.

The twin threat will demand concentrated attention, creating space for others

5. High and aggressive defensive line

As tempting as sitting deep against Cote d'Ivoire's individual threats seems, this plays into their hands.

Pepe and Jeremie Boga enjoy isolating fullbacks in wide channels to run at. Meanwhile Haller is given the space he craves to pick up second balls.

Instead, pushing Bassey and Ekong into higher starting positions prevents Cote d'Ivoire's front three receiving in their preferred pockets.

Ejim Kaycee

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