Why the Super Eagles played with the 3-4-3 formation against Benin Republic: Interim coach Eguavoen explains the great victory

Nigeria senior national team interim coach Austine Eguavoen has explained why the team reverted to a 3-4-3 formation in the AFCON qualifier against Benin Republic, which they won 3-0.

Nigeria proved too strong for their West African neighbours, who beat them 2-1 three months ago in World Cup qualifying. This time, a brace from Ademola Lookman sandwiched with a goal from Victor Osimhen gave the Super Eagles a convincing victory.

The decisive factor was the coach’s decision to return to 3-4-3, the same formation the team used to good effect at the African Cup of Nations, where they reached the final before losing 1-2 to hosts Ivory Coast.

Explaining the decision to follow that formation, Eguavoen said that the quality of the players at his disposal allowed him to easily decide on the style, knowing full well that they could interpret it to good effect.

“The formation is just information. We have quality players and we can decide to play with any formation. It is something we have talked about and I have also observed and thought about it with my head on and I know that with the type of players we have we can decide to play with any formation and be successful because the players are always there,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“When you expect a lot from Nigeria, that’s when you see the performance. We’ve had a lot of criticism and the lads know we have the calibre and quality to beat any team, but we respect teams. So anyone can come and do the same job. We have the mentality, we have the potential and the important thing is to analyse the opponents and give them information so they can go out and do the job.”