In the Uruguay vs. Nigeria match on June 21 (June 20, 16:00 Salvador
time), we’ll see veteran experience battle it out with youthful energy.
Uruguay is still smarting from its 1-2 loss against Spain, but it may
have a better chance of winning against Nigeria. Going against football
behemoths can teach your team a thing or two about playing high-intensity
football, after all.
The South American football club has excellent strikers in Edison
Cavani and Luis Suarez. Nigeria, meanwhile, has formidable midfielders John Obi
Mikel and Ogenyi Onazi. If the teams’ respective coaches utilize these players
to their fullest potential, this underrated match can prove to be one of the
most exciting to watch.
While we’re on the subject of coaches, Oscar Tabarez of Uruguay and
Stephen Keshi of Nigeria deserve spots in the limelight, too. Tabarez likes to
use the 4-4-1-1 formation, but he occasionally shifts towards 3-5-2, 4-4-2, and
4-3-3; likewise, Keshi’s 4-3-3 system for his players isn’t likely to change
soon, considering how Nigeria fared with it.
In terms of overall strengths and weaknesses, Uruguay has the advantage
of experience, while Nigeria has the advantage of youth. Eight of the
Uruguayans are at least 30 years old, so despite their decreased mobility on
the field, they can serve as guides to the other players. On the flip side,
Nigeria may have younger and more energetic players, but their relative
inexperience could work against them.
This match may be what Uruguay needs to boost the ego that Spain
bruised—or not.
Photo credit: Football.ua [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
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