FIFA U20 World Cup: Samuel Abimbola shares tips for Nigeria to beat Argentina

Former Nigeria U20 assistant coach, Samuel Abimbola has given tips on how to stop Argentina as Ladan Bosso’s side are set for the Round of 16 clash against hosts Argentina in the ongoing Fifa U20 World Cup on Wednesday.

The Flying Eagles will attempt to reach the quarterfinals, after emerging two-time runners-up in a 2-0 loss to Portugal in Saudi Arabia 1989, and 2-1 to Argentina at the 2005 edition in the Netherlands.

Ladan Bosso’s team had finished third in Group D with six points from three games to book a second round ticket against Argentina, who won all three group A matches with maximum nine points.

However, Abimbola believes if Bosso and his boys can exploit the North Americans’ weakness, they will win the knock-out stage match.

“What I expect from Head Coach, Ladan Bosso is to block the opponent’s stronghold, and exploit their weak points,” he told BSN.

“The Head Coach (Bosso) also need to collaborate with other members of the crew to analyze Argentina’s games. I could remember when we were to play Argentina in Bauchi, in Nigeria 2009, the Argentines had deadly strikers, one of them, Ortega, was very lethal.

“So what we did was to plant a player on him and others, to stop them from going anywhere, and we were able to stop him, and eventually won the game 2-1.

“I believe the Flying Eagles have ample opportunity because they have seen the Argentines play. So they should work on the team’s stronghold by blocking it, then also exploit their weak points.”

According to him, facing world powerhouses like Italy and Brazil in the group stages is one thing, but locking horns against the hosts, and most successful side in the grade’s history – Albicelestes of Argentina, is definitely another.

“Well, sometimes being the host can be an advantage, but not all the time,” he continued.

“If they can be resilient, determined, and have belief, they can go ahead of Argentina. But it hugely depends on the plans and strategy of the technical crew.

“I want to believe when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. But if we get there, we can now plan on winning the title. However, the current challenge is how to bypass Argentina. The ultimate aim is to go through.

“That’s why I said we’ve all watched each other play, so they will analyze our matches, as do we theirs.”