A former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, on Saturday called on the Super Eagles not to relent in their upcoming showdown with La Albiceleste, who would play like wounded Lions.
Adepoju, a former Racing Satander of Spain player, told newsmen in Lagos that the players had made a commendable comeback at the 2018 Russia World Cup and should not relent.
Musa Ahmed got a brace in the second half against the hard-fighting Strakammir Okkar in the keenly contested Group D match to give the team a lifeline.
“It was 100 percent concentration and teamwork that got them the victory against Iceland, if they can improve on the tempo, I don’t think Argentina will pose as much threat as we expect.
“But bear in mind that Argentina are going to do everything humanly possible to ensure that they redeem themselves after their abysmal performance at the World Cup.
“They are wounded like lions looking for who to devour, nobody saw this coming; though Super Eagles have defeated them on some occasions.
“Our players need to understand that the presence of Messi won’t change anything for the team if they can remain focused and play cohesively as a team.
“Our boys are fired up and they need to keep that fire burning to ensure that we have a successful outing at the World Cup,’’ he said.
In the same vein, John Obuh, a former U-17 Golden Eaglets coach, said that the Argentinean team were like men on the edge and would do whatever it takes to defeat the Super Eagles.
“Right now, the Super Eagles have so much work to do, you know why, we have bruised this particular team’s ego, at most of our friendly matches, and considering their poor performance too.
“They will be fighting for their honour, while the Super Eagles are trying to confirm that their previous victories over them in friendly matches have not been a fluke.
“So, our boys need to double the efforts against Iceland, if they do so, trust me, they will move past the group stage, yesterday’s match was a reflection of the ‘can do’ spirit of the boy,’’ he said.
Super Eagles have moved to second place in Group D standings and their next match will be against Argentina on Tuesday at St Petersburg.
