Former Nigerian goalkeeper, Peter Rufia says he’s optimistic the Super Eagles interim coach, Austine Eguavoen can replicate late Stephen Keshi’s feat by winning the forthcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Recall that Keshi against all odds led the Super Eagles to claim Nigeria’s third AFCON trophy in South Africa after defeating Burkina Faso in the final.
Against this backdrop, the 1994 AFCON winner told Completesports.com in an interview that he has confident in Eguavoen’s technical and tactical capability to lead Nigeria to glory in the bi-annual tournament.
“I have no doubt that Austine Eguavoen can weather the storm and lead the Super Eagles to glory in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. I have this feelings that he can replicate late Stephen Keshi’s feat despite having a short time to prepare the team.
“He has the players at his disposal and with the support of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) the whole picture may change in Cameroon. The players as far as I am concern are ready and willing to make the nation proud.”
Eguavoen, a former Nigeria captain, was coach of the squad when it finished in third place at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in 2006. He was on-field captain when the Super Eagles lifted the Africa Cup for the first time on away ground, in Tunisia 27 years ago.
He will now take charge of the team as it begins preparations for the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Cameroon 9th January – 6th February 2022, and until the appointment of a substantive Head Coach.
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I want to say Dodo Mayana has spoken our minds as good Nigerians who have been following the Super Eagles even after the sacking of the former coach. The Nigeria Head Coach’s capability to deliver is not in doubt as our fear is having the NFF to give him every necessary support to bring the cup for the 4th time. Everytime I read that Egypt has won Afcon for a record 7times, I wondered why Nigeria. Yes we can.
Our ex players have always been speaking out. This is very good.
I am suggesting the following as pSE 1st 11:
Okoye
Ekong, Balogun, Aina, Collins, Awaziem
V Moses, Amoo, Iwobi
Odion, Osimhen or Desser
SUPER EAGLES’ BENCH
UZOHO
AMPEYI
MUSA
Nwakali
SANUSI
ARIBO
Ebuehi
NDIDI,
DENNIS
SMOSES
Lookman
Nigeria could have been 8 times champion but for the reckless decision by the military in 1996, and our barn in 1998, Nigeria was at the peak in Africa, no one dares our team then, the Army stopped the eagles from participating and we were disqualified from subsequent events by Caf, but I know we shall recover.
I think he will have selection problems because of the avalanche of good players. Coach Eguavoen only needs the support of the football federation to succeed having be left with little or no time to prepare. The good thing is the lads who are scheming for spaces are ready to do Nigeria proud in cameroon.
Me too, I have no doubt Eguavoen will win the nation’s cup. I wish Nigeria good luck.
Rufia has spoken well. Come the tournament proper, the squad could have the likes of Nwakali, Amoo, Lookman, Victor Moses and Ovie Ejaria thrown into the fray. I see Coach Eguavoen’s SE too hot to contain in Cameroon. God bless Nigeria.
Gius the provisional list.
Yes, that’s true. All we want is nothing but the cup. No excuses like “they tried given the short time they had on their hands”. After all, that’s why rohr was sacked. Anything short of the trophy will be a complete failure and would not be acceptable. We must win next years nation’s cup.
Well said @Oakfield
I perceive jealousy, hatred in this comment. Even if Eguavon wins this Afcon, this Oakfield will still be sad. Rohr balls licker, better move on.
He’s talking as if Rohr was going to win it lmfaoo . If Eguavon no win the cup, just go get yourself a snipper or two broz. Pained asshole
The coach has got the winning mentality, that’s it. Good luck Super Eagles of Nigeria. God bless Nigeria.
It is even better that Nigeria is the winner at the end of it all. I’m already counting days to see our own SE against the pharaohs. Good luck SE crews.
We no wan hear super story or tales by moonlight ooo.
We need the cup. This is why Rohr was sacked. What is good for the goose, the gander too must be ready to carry on it’s head. No excuses please.
Peter Rufia said my mind.
Folks, let’s digress a little bit. I would like to suggest the 4-2-3-1 which is in effect the best formation in modern football. A mixture of attacking potency with defensive solidarity.
Our full-backs(Ekong and Balogun) fast and adventurous would fit into this bill as the formation is stretched to 4-3-3 which is quite explosive,
The midfield is key, as you would find a holding pivot(here, Iwobi) employed to dominate possession and feed the key attacking outlets(Odion, Oshimen/ Desser). These two will link play, terrorise defenders and drop into pockets of space.
I would also like to emphasis on ball retention, here, inverted wingers(Ejuke and Chukwueze) are my preference to run down the wings. Therefore, Aina and collins will not have any role in this formation, the could be introduced as the game wears down. Amoo with speed will team up with Iwobi and V. Moses in the midfield. This arrangement is sure to give the coach Eguavoen tutored side an edge over their opponents.
@Oseodion,
What about the 442 formation?
@Seun, that is the beauty of 4-2-3-1. It’s flexibility allows it to be stretched into 442 that carries a genuine direct threat by using two proper wingers who hug the touchline, beat their man and fire in a cross. It’s imperative our team fills the box to meet the cross, or else it’s just a cheap way of giving up possession. Like I earlier posited, it could be 433 as well.
Una no go injure person with laugh. When did Ekong and Balogun become full backs? The attack with ighalo is the one that would terrorise defence in Cameroon…..lol. Did you not see how ighalo terrorized cape verde’s defense during the wc qualifiers? He was a terror all through out….hehehehehe. Small time when wc start, our people will start saying we will terrorize defences at the wc with Ighalo…lol. France, Argentina, Brazil do not stand a chance. Reality check would soon set in. If you are going to be bullish with your assertion then you might as well put your best foot forward and go with your in form players. He mentioned Ekong too……ROTFL
The fool who said Nigeria League players were not good enough because according to him they were spending to much time teaching them the basics they already should have known like trapping the ball has now called up Enugu Rangers defender who just played his first match after six months of vacation for Nigeria League. The stupid NFF and Minister are showing us that quota “mediocrity” system will always be back bone of Nigeria.
Eguavouen made that comment in 2006 when he was Eagles coach getting ready for that year’s AFCON.
Yeah rite, we all are allowed to dream, however dis is going backfire on da NFF!!
_Nigeria to Win the World Cup_
Sooner or later, Nigeria will win the World Cup. This is the firm belief of the Super Eagles Interim Head Coach in the YouTube video below that I watched yesterday and found very illuminating and interesting indeed.
“With the encouragement and support that we will soon be receiving, Nigeria will win the World Championship sooner or later,” said Eguavoen as he talks through his philosophy and vision for Nigerian football within his capacity as Technical Director whilst reminiscing on the 1980s and 90s Super Eagles technical arc.
The former full back explains that the Super Eagles were known and should continue to be seen as a flair and affluent outfit with an expressive and expansive style of play and a discernable pattern. He said attacking and defending are collective responsibilities of the entire team with each player having individual tasks to be carried out with care and focus.
Eguavoen talks about the need for the Super Eagles to have a spine: in his days, this ran as a straight line from Rufai though Keshi to Oliseh and then Okocha. Nigeria – he stresses – ‘mixes it up’ to either play from the back or go long, depending on the opposition.
The Super Eagles ‘stretches the field’ with flamboyant, vibrant, dynamic and lightning speed wingers (like Finidi and Babangida) who feed off eloquently cladded long balls from Oliseh and Okocha. The Centre forward plays off the defender with Amokachi or – later on – Kanu working the space behind the arrow head to wreck havoc.
Defensively, only one fullback overlaps with Oliseh dropping back to add to the numbers. They double-team to strangle opposition attacking initiatives and deny danger men like Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov breathing space with a view to forcing them all the way back to sender.
Winning second balls is very important to Eguavoen’s philosophy as well as having the right skills set which he curiously call “SIT AND WATCH”. I didn’t really catch what the WATCH aspect meant but as for SIT, Eguavoen said S stands for Speed and Strength, I for Intelligence and T for Technique.
He said any player that would be selected for his Super Eagles team has to possess at least 2 of these attributes. He credits Ejuke and ‘baby’ Chukwueze as been very skilful whilst Osimhen is a superior centre forward that keeps defenders on their toes.
Eguavoen sort of hesitates about Iheanacho but reluctantly said the Leicester man was ‘okay’ adding that playing different roles for club and country makes Iheanacho positionally-confused.
As for Ndidi, Eguavoen again reluctantly concedes that the Leicester man lacks the vision and passing range of Oliseh but has massive potentials to improve exponentially but he is inexplicably holding himself back.
A major part of his work is to help develop indigenous local coaches who can identify talents and imbibe them with the approach mentality to fit seamlessly into the flair yet effective brand of football that Nigeria should be known for.
Eguavoen belongs to the golden age of Nigerian footballers and was involved in key milestones in the Super Eagles history of accomplishments across the 1980s and 90s. He had a bite of the coaching-cherry in 2006 and managed to get Nigeria the bronze medal at the Afcon, narrowly missing world cup qualification on a technicality.
Now as the Interim Super Eagles Head Coach, will he bring his wealth of expertise and experience to bear to pull off a major coup in Cameroon next year?
The possibilities are indeed tantalising.
https://youtu.be/Ey5KcdrfvaM
Hehehe…. Deo, deo! This is a well crafted pr stunt and only time shall prove me wrong. Like i said earlier, nothing short of the cup is totally unacceptable. They sacked rohr to bring in who can get the job done – our 4th continental trophy. He must get the cup for us.
Long time Oakfield, how you na day o. You are fully back again?welcome. You are expecting Mr. No nonsense to bring the cup home abi? But your Oga Rohr that couldn’t win a tea cup still wanted by you to be in charge of the Super Eagles?
No matter what, Eguavoen should win the Afcon trophy in less than a month while our world class coach was unable to do so in almost six years?
As a Nigerian, yes it is possible to win the Afcon trophy but he needs your support Oakfield.
Why are you like this Oga Rohr fans?
If coach Eguavoen doesn’t win the tournament in Cameroon, do you think we should kill him.
Bia, where is your partner Dr. Drey?
You can see now that life is so simple. He is not smart enough to make the right decision and he is no where to be found now.
You and Dr.Drey have learned your lessons from NFF.
I hope you former Oga Rohr followers will humble yourselves now.
You don’t follow people blindly.
Let’s support our own. God bless Nigeria!!!
Omo9ja 11 months ago
You have this wrong Mr. Eguavoen.
Oh ooo because you are part of the system now you have eaten dodo (plantains) you can’t speak the truth no more ba?
Chai, “It will take a bit of time to get the Super Eagles back to what they used to be,”
Really? Seriously huh? It is very clear today that Nigerians are the problem of Nigeria.
Who does that kę. How would say it will take time to build a good team while the gaffer already spent 4 years in charge of Eagles Eagles kę?
I think Mr. Rohr is trying to build us mount Kilimanjaro? That is why Mr. Eguavoen is asking for more time like APC party that taking Nigeria to the next level of poverty and insecurity.
Again, who is fooling who?
What can we say to this kę. Long story short, Oga Ayphillydegreat, read section 50 50 of my constitution to Mr. Eguavoen make I hear wella.
Oh, you can’t read it ba? What happened kę lolz? Because you love Oga Rohr and you don’t want to disappoint Oga Rohr fans. Kai, akoba gafara o.
How about you Oga Deo? You don’t want to read the section 50 50 because the truth in that section is too much. Okay which section would you really like to read kę?
Section 419. Ahh… section 419 kę? hmm. Interesting. Okay o. Read am for him make I hear.
“Together we stand and divided we fall” sir. Okay sweet. That is enough thank you.
How about you Oga Oakfield and Dr.Drey Original? Kai, Almost everything is fake in that country lolz. We are seeing fake Dr.Drey here too. Oga o.
However, what can both of you say to this matter because two of you have been backing the coach since his start of his job in Nigeria.
Aghahowa and Dosu have spoken and now Mr. Eguavoen. Do you think we should go ahead and give Oga Rohr 2000 years to build us aso rock?
Chai, ah, chai, who is fooling who @UBFE?
“People that speak with a sincere mind….. Not with bias or out of envy, bitterness or bcos the person in charge has refused them the opportunity of turning our only and dear national team into alaba international market.
People that want the best for their father land…. Not pocket-driven personalities.
People that are not driven by the spirit of greed…. But are after the growth, progress & success of the team.
How i wish he can continue this way…”
Ah, how you wish he can continue? What is going on here today kę? In what way sir? After 4 years in charge and Nigerians are not convinced but only carbals and our oppressors wanted Oga Rohr to stay. Can’t you see ni?
Mr. Sean and Edoman, can you both see clearly now that I don’t hate Mr. Rohr?
Mr. Eguavoen is pleading to us to give him more time. How does this sound to you gentlemen?
What a lovely day today on CSN my people.
Chai, Mr. Sunnyb also not contented with Mr. Eguavoen statement.
“Same way is taking sai Buhari 8yrs to fix Nigeria abi, ok eguavaon I hear you ooo, hopefully Rohr will fix super Eagles 2028, though we have the needed ingredients but the soup wouldn’t be ready until next week.” Hmmm… interesting. Na koko you yen o.
Mercy and Glory can testify to it that I love Super Eagles so much and I can’t open my two eyes koro koro like this letting Super Eagles turn to kerewa kerewawa team.
Oh wonderful. If you think you can manipulate everything the way you like Oga eguavoen, I’m so sorry that we patriotic Nigerians are here to deliver Super Eagles and Nigeria from you people.
Who don’t like better thing kę?
By the time we build this our country to our taste, having electricity 24/7, security, infrastructure, good stadiums all over 9ja, the best team in the world, Super Eagles and good roads, we patriotic Nigerians will invite Mr. Amaju Pinnick jthe special guest of honor, Oga Rohr and his deciples to come and rejoice with us.
For now, we patriotic Nigerians are working tirelessly to achieve these goals and take Nigeria back.
“It Will Take Rohr Time To Help Super Eagles Rediscover Their Form- Eguavoen” please don’t even go there . It took Mr. Westerhof five years to built that 1994 team if I’m not mistaken. So, I won’t say more than. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!! Hahaha but you said this during roha era
@omo9ja, ohh, now u feel it’s impossible for him but one of the reasons why robr is still attacked even to this days was bcs he couldnt get us the cup in his first attempt, having barely spent just fews a months on the saddle. No, no, no,!!! Your eguavon must bring us the cup. Is that not why they removed rohr? ???? Lol… U don dy fear now abi.
Ahahahaha @Oakfield. You are getting this all wrong my friend.
“@omo9ja, ohh, now u feel it’s impossible for him”
I never said anything like that Mr. Oakfield because impossible is nothing in football sir.
“Is that not why they removed rohr? ???? Lol…” Mba.
You see gentleman, our world class coach was sacked simply because, he was playing boring games, no passion in the team any more, no style of play and strategy to win game period. Including late subs and wrong tactics.
Orgini, “Your eguavon must bring us the cup”.
Hmmm. Kilodeeeeeee? Lolz.
Chai, I can only promise you that Mr. No nonsense will try his best but he may and he may not win the trophy but he will try his best and his very best will surpassed Oga Rohr achievements, that is for sure.
I have to you former Oga Rohr fans, you can’t rope me lolz. Ire o o. God bless Nigeria!!!
@Oakfield,
I think what he has stated is a coach with a team philosophy. He has an idea / blueprint of how his team should look like; this is always reassuring when a coach speaks like this. Unfortunately his predecessor never spoke like this , no one had a clue how the SE played(Anyway,that chapter is closed now). Having said that, I think Eguavoen is setting himself up with all this bullish talk for now. He should show us rather than tell us.
@Golden Child honestly i just watched the video on YouTube and I’m deeply impressed.This is a coach with a philosophy and this is what i had always emphasized on. He has won my respect already even though they may say it is easier said than done. This is a coach communicating his philosophy and ideology to the public and i pray by God’s grace he and the players translates it on the field of play.I don’t want to have my hope too high because NFF with its corrupt cabals could spring few surprises with players selection. However It is satisfying at the moment to have an idea of what to expect from the coach and sincerely its aligns with Nigerian traditional pattern of play.And a clear vision of how our super eagles should be playing.It is appealing to know that we have a coach that understands the core pattern of play that Nigerians expects than having Rhor that held the post for almost six years without been able to translate a clear vision of a pattern of play.Super Eagles played without a style and identity and this was what Obodo and co were trying to say when Rhor fans were insulting him and everyone that spoke out the truth then.As far as i am concern Rhor was a fraudulent entity packaged by criminals in the glass house (NFF) and sold to Nigerians.If he is as good as he and his fans claims he should go get a job with a football country in the same rank as Nigeria or even lesser instead of saying if he gets a chance to coach Nigeria again he’d come back lol. Shey them tie him kidney to Naija ni?
Hehehehe…..A lot of things are easier said than done. We will play back this same video for them all when the time comes.
And again, if Eguavon no win the cup, kill yourself
“Will not be acceptable”
If e no win am, na noise you go make and the noise no go pass social media, with zilch significance. Dem don sack your tin god, body come dey pepper you like say e concern us.
@Deo thank you.What a great analysis. No cap this is pure technicality & intelligence. Tbh if he isn’t sound, he can’t have this idea to analyze for over 20 minutes. We should expect a different Ball game from the Eagles. Even if they didn’t win the cup at least we deserve to see a good performance not an eyesore we experienced during Clueless Rhor reign
Thanks for uploading this informative video @Deo.
This is why I said only Nigerians can understand Nigeria.
This is exactly how coach Eguavoen was playing his team at the Afcon 2006.
Let’s support our own. He doesn’t complain about the time. He doesn’t have time to prepare for this challenges due to (NFF, “AJĘWOMASAN” THE DOBTOR) that putting him in a tight corner but that is not an excuse. The man used to the situation and this is not his first time to rescue Nigeria from NFF calamities.
Lastly, I have said this again and again that as long as Amaju Pinnick remains in the office as the NFF President, expect nothing but “commotion” but we all have to digest it first and take actions otherwise, Super Eagles may not be Super again under Amaju Pinnick.
I heard that he is bringing another foriegn coach to Nigeria soon, no wahala but can’t Pinnick watch this interview? What else does he want?
I can understand that it is more profitable for Amaju/NFF to hire a foreign coach so that they can pocket the rest of the money. We are watching. God bless Nigeria!!!
@deo I like the part where he talks about Ejuke, Chukwueze, Ndidi, Osimhen and Iheanacho. That tells that those are the players he will use as the spine of his team which is a very fine idea. He can also add Dennis to that spine list. If all those players are ready and fully fit Nigeria should have a fantastic AFCON. Like everyone has alluded to the only obstacle for this boys to bring the cup back home is the timing. Eguavoen is tactical enough to handle the SuperEagles at any time. I’m looking forward to a team with flair and flamboyance to wreck havoc in Cameroon. Omo9ja why are you scared? If Eguavoen eventually bring home the cup don’t come here and praise him O! Eguavoen has been to the AFCON before he won bronze and narrowly missed the WorldCup same year only by head to head. Therefore, he’s got the technical expertise to steer the SuperEagles to victory in Yaoundé. #FLY LIKE AN EAGLE INTO THE FUTURE#
@Ayphillydegreat, not necessarily. By spine ,I think he meant a dominant goal keeper, dominant centre half, dominant defensive midfielder and dominant forward. All in a straight line as you would have in a human spine.
My spine would be
Adebayo Adeleye
Awaziem
Ndidi
Osimhen (if he recovers on time)
Truth be told ,our current midfield is limited. I am glad he has spotted that problem, it shows the depth of his technical knowledge. If you analyse all the midfielders used by Roth, they were all limited with their passing range(ndidi, iwobi,aribo,etebo). None could give a diagonal pass to the wings for a quick counter attack when the midfield is pressed. that was why Rohrs team lacked creativity and easily caged by opposite teams.USA 94 team had a midfield where they could give short concise passes and if pressed, they could give long range passes with precusion to the flanks to exploit the pace and trickery of amuneke and finidi. They could change it up by going route one to yekini.
This is what is lacking ,Nigeria has arguably one of the most fearful attacks in world football; if we use the right personnel. I mean chukwueze and ejuke on the wings with pace and dribbling.Look at his analysis in comparing Kanu and okocha as 10 and 8. This is coach who understands the qualities his players possesses and his understanding of how best to use them. Kanu and Henry Nwosu were not natural no. 10s but were creative in their own right. Most fans due to their limited technical knowledge would insist on certain players playing certain positions, not minding their qualities. Iwobi should be no. 10, Aribo should be No. 10; all good players but are not No. 10! None have that passing range, which explains why Nwakali is on the auxiliary list. Since Mikel Obi, the SE has not had this kind of player profile. There is no nigerian player that has the passing ability of nwakali (forget his club fortunes).nwakali short comings is his lack of mobility,lack of intensity, lack of concentration at times and at then club is at times played too deep.if a good coach works on him, the eagles may actually fly.once the midfield gets going , the attack becomes deadly.
Nwakali is currently playing regularly so he should be given a chance in the SuperEagles. I like his set pieces expertise especially on free kicks we need that kind of player since he’s currently playing regularly albeit in Segunda Liga. Not a problem even Eguavoen himself was club less during those golden days of Nigerian football. He was mostly unattached during those period.
What I’m saying by the spine is that he wants to return the SuperEagles to the days of wing play where we can exploit the trickeries of Ejuke and Chukwueze while also maintaining a front two. Well I’m not going to be in camp with them, but I believe those players will be the spine of his team going into the AFCON. Ejuke Chukwueze Osimhen Ndidi and Iheanacho if all are fit will form the nucleus of Eguavoen’s first 11 I can guarantee you that.
Most fans are not fully confident in Okoye so I can’t consider him a spine at the moment and Adeleye is just playing his first season in the Israeli top flight and has never been capped by Nigeria yet therefore. I can’t consider him a spine. They can be decent at best in my opinion.
As for the defense I think Zaidu might be that player that brings the Iroha and Babayaro role to the fore. That’s another important position for an intelligent player. I’m still worried about the central defense because Balogun is not fit at the moment and Ekong seems like a time bomb waiting to explode, Omeruo hasn’t really been playing regularly in the Spanish Segunda until recently, Awaziem has already scored like two own goals in the Turkish league this season. Only Akpoguma seems ready for big occasion.
So tell me where is the spine in central defense??? All we have in those positions are decent players at best. We can only expect them to raise their games when it matters most to compliment the mentioned five. And I also expect the new foreign coach to bring in some ideas going into the AFCON. I believe if we have a fully fit match fit SuperEagles we can win the cup.
I see your point with ejuke and chukwueze,on iheanacho, he will do well to refrain from such thoughts. I am not sold on okoye either, the jury is still out on him. It will become clearer once the camp opens but I have a sneaky feeling that Adebayo Adeleye would be the number 1 (IMO has a better all round game)and nwakali might get more game time.
@Ayphillydegreat and Golden Child, Bravo. I really enjoy your analysis.
Nwakali is the missing link in the Super Eagles. I have been saying this all this while but Oga Rohr did not listen to me.
Also, I am expecting Dessers, Dennis, Adeleye and Umar Sodiq to be part of the Afcon squad.
We shouldn’t be worrying about goalkeeping department if Agu is doing his job quite well but to my surprise, he is still among the coaches selected by Amaju and NFF.
the best Eguavoen can do is to ask coach Agu to have Adeleye, Uzoho and Okoye in his squad.
Enough of Akpeyi.
I won’t be surprised if I see Uzoho in actions in Cameroon.
It is between Adeleye and Uzoho.
Both of them are vocal. They control the back really well while Okoye is for the future.
These were the mistakes Oga Rohr made during his time and am so happy that Mr. No nonsense is aware of that now.
Watch out for new Super Eagles Nigerians.
No room
for any foriegn coach if our own impressed in Cameroon. That message is for Amaju
and his company.
Enough is enough. It is time to have made in Nigeria coach period. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
By the way, to those that lije to say that Pinnick is corrupt because NFF is not doing their work. Understand now that Pinnick’s focus for Nigerian football is way better than any other past administrator. Pinnick through his efforts has now landed a 2.3bn naira sponsorship annual deal with Stanbic IBTC. This is one of his many feats. For those who cannot deliver when they were there. Now understand that this is how its supposed to be done.
@Ben, good initiatives, NFF has deals with MTN , AITEO etc. Securing corporate partnerships is good but the big elephant is still in the room! Why are coaches still owed salary? Why are player’s bonuses still owed? additional 2.3 billion naira annually and nothing will still change. Are the coaches handling our age grade teams now the best? Why is the FA always interfering with the team? It is imperative to highlight the good and the bad of his stewardship .
@Golden Child, I totally understand your point here. But the solutions to these problems are way beyond Amaju Pinnick’s control.
It falls also on the Sports Ministry that is always advocating for local coaches who have no relevant coaching experience with success stories to the Technical Director of NFF – Eguavoen to the other members of the NFF. To even the Football Referee Association. All those people who are in positions that they have no idea about are also to be blamed. It’s just our way of doing things on this country.
We won’t understand something, but because there is a lot of money There, we want to get in by fire by force.
God bless you my brother @Golden child. That mafian is busy achieving endorsement from private firm just to loot the money, same way buhari is busy collecting loans just for them to re-loot the money and put the country in debts. That endorsement would have move me if we have a sane football management.
Why are coaches owed up to crazy 8 months salary if this endorsement is they?
Why are players owed match bonus up to 2 years?
Why is our female teams owed match allowances?
Why don’t we spend the money on friendlies for U17 U20 U23 and home base eagles? Instead of always waiting until is time for tournaments? These questions are begging for answers.
True questions at Marvellous. But like I mentioned, the problem NFF has goes way beyond Amaju Pinnick’s abilities. It’s all members of the NFF and Sports Minister included.
Let’s wait soon. Revelations would be plentiful for all to see and read.
@ben abeg that your talk no get point, endorsement of 2.8b and still owing your coaches,player etc money right,the main problem of Nigeria football is corruption, greediness,pinmick,sport minister and even our local coaches.
Frustration wears O.P band.
Kikiki. I laff in Itshekiri. Eguavoen will struggle to win this Afcon o and Nigeria is not ready to win the World Cup. Lolzzzz. Wake up o. Heaven bless Eguavoen and his back up brigade. Lolzzzz
@Taiwo, I said the same thing. Funding is just one challenge in a big pot of challenges.
But truth be told in every sector where there is a lot of money to be made, always attracts a lot of bees to it. Plus the one that is not to be there.
Interesting interview. Eguavoen’s favoured formations appear to be 4-4-2 and 4-3-3.
I would’ve loved to hear him discuss his application of other formations, like the 3-4-3 or the 3-5-2. We want to see how flexible he is tactically.
Tactical flexibility is key. The coach needs to know which tactics best suits a particular opponent. A cookie cutter approach of the same set of tactics for all opponents won’t work. Opponents will figure you out and outwit you.
This was a big disadvantage of our 1994 set. Although abundantly gifted, they lacked tactical flexibility. If 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 was not adequate, their goose was cooked. A tactically flexible Nigeria in the 1994 world cup would probably have won that competition. To increase the chances of success in the game, a coach must be a problem solver.
Each opponent needs to be analyzed, their strengths and weaknesses identified, and a suitable tactic to subdue that particular opponent needs to be developed.
I think he talking from the contest of a technical director and not from the angle of a coach. He was explaining on how nigeria team can have a football philosophy( style of play) that will be inculcated into the team from the underage to the senior team. Of course every coach must be flexible and be able to twist his team a little bit in other to be successful.
That’s right, Mercy. However, at this moment, he is the SE coach. He needs to be a problem solver to succeed in the face of the challenges that lie ahead.
For example, Nigeria played Argentina with a 4-4-2 formation in the 1994 world cup. That formation was obviously not adequate to keep Maradona at bay. A tactically flexible Nigeria would have found a solution to the Maradona problem, and gone on to defeat that Argentina side. If the Maradona threat had been nullified, Nigeria would have had the advantage, and should have won that game.
They did not have a superior team, compared to Nigeria. However, they had Maradona, and they won because we failed to solve the Maradona problem.
It’s the same problem the SE have had for years with Messi. Without Messi, we spanked Argentina 4-1 in Lagos, and 4-2 in Russia. But when Messi is in town, we lose. Why? Tactical inflexibility. Failure to solve the Messi problem. We approach all games with plans A and B, and if those plans fail, we are done for. That needs to change going forward.
@pompei
There are little details that can makes a big in football. He talked about how we conceded the one if the goals against Argentina which he attributed to inexperience. If we have had a player right in front of the ball while we are trying to organize our wall we might not have conceded that goal. Which to me, has nothing to do with the team formation.
*conceded one of the goals
That’s true. However, one goal does not make a team lose a match. Inadequate tactics on the other hand can result in defeat.
Yes, we conceded that goal due to inexperience. But what of the second goal? What of our failure to create more chances and manage the game properly, largely due to Maradona’s presence?
When Cameroon met Argentina in 1990, they obviously had identified Maradona as their biggest tactical problem, and from the way they played the match, containing Maradona was the focal point of their tactics for the day. There was another danger man on the pitch that day, Claudio Cannigia. However, Cannigia can’t hurt you without the ball. If you stop the supply line to Cannigia, that is Maradona, you effectively stop Cannigia. By stopping Maradona, Cameroon gave themselves a chance to win the game. And they did.
Nigeria, on the other hand, gave Maradona more freedom to roam the pitch with our formation. When players like Maradona have the ball, they put a lot of pressure on their opponents, and these destabilizes them, makes them vulnerable. If we had contained Maradona, we would have freed up resources, thus increasing our chances of beating them.
If we contained Maradona and scored 2 additional goals for instance, we would have won the game 3-2. As long as we contain the main threat, we increase our chances of winning the game.
So we didn’t lose because of Eguavoen’s mistake. That was only a contributory factor. We lost due to tactical inflexibility.
@Pompei, you’re right about that but i guess he would understand that either. He can’t disclose all of his plan in a single interview. If a coach is not dynamic and flexible enough to know he needs to adjust his formation or tactics based on opponent and able to review opponent style or pattern or play from the start to half time analysis in other to identify their weakness, strength and counter it, make decisive substitute that will make an impact then he or she don’t have business on the Bench as a Coach. That’s my problem with Rhor. The guy has nothing upstairs except to keep using tired legs. No pattern, no good line up, no good formation, no good subs. No ability to read games, find opponent weakness and take advantage of it. We can only thank God he was sacked. Give that Man additional 5 years. Eagles won’t improve or win any Cup and he will continue giving excuses. I still wonder if those people that keep mentioning Ighalo in the comment sections are blind to see that the Guy is done and can only benefit if the Eagles has a good box to box midfielders who can produce a magic out of nothing and give defence splitting passes. Though Nwakali can be giving the chance to do that because he’s talented. However, even Ighalo on his best, he is just an average striker. Nothing spectacular about him and can’t be compared with Dessers, Awoniyi & not to talk of Osimhen. So what is he doing in Rhor team b4 he was sacked now that he’s closed to retiring and playing in a very weak League that can’t be compared to SA League. They will say he scored goals. Abeg how many and against which Teams ? Ighalo on his best misses a goal sitter a lot so we don’t need him or his experience period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnaMOxGHYrk
This one is for those who wanted to jump inside Lagos lagoon because Ighalo was invited.
@Pompei, the guy is entitled to his own opinion and because some Myopic Analyst who was trying to buttress his point by citing Ibrahomivic as a point of reference doesn’t mean we should buy his idea of inviting tired legs that no longer have anything to offer the team. For God sake why would he on earth mention Ibrahomivic. Who is Ighalo to be compared to him ? Ighalo at his best can’t be compared to a retired Ibrahomivic so please he is not making any logical point from that angle. Probably he’s clouded by his love for Rhor and any Footbal fans who buy Rhor ideology should just statt following another sport. Maybe Hockey or cricket. Because Rhoe has no business being a football Coach. Let’s see which Team that will hire him now that he has been sacked.
Sean T, we may have a difference of opinion regarding Rohr’s competence as a coach, but the issue on ground is – DOES THE COACH HAVE THE RIGHT TO INVITE ANYONE HE CONSIDERS NECESSARY TO DO HIS JOB?
Rohr made a judgment call when he invited Ighalo. As the SE coach then, he had every right to do that. Now that Eguavoen is in the saddle, he has every right to invite Ighalo, OR NOT.
The coach ultimately decides what the team needs, and is held responsible for the decisions he makes.
@Pompei
Let me state this clearly, people do not care about who you call into a team, they care about what such player can offer and it’s the reason you see people clamouring for Victor Moses but angry with Ighalo inclusion, we all saw how Ighalo played in our last match, that guy got no business in that team, not even at this time when we have avalanche of inform strikers better than Ighalo. This dude is entitled to his opinion anyway, funny how he’s even comparing Ighalo to Ibra… Some people’s point of view is very funny
Yes, we may have wingers than strikers but are Moses Simon and Musa dependable wingers?? Age has clearly declined Musa’s ability and Moses Simon isn’t just bringing his club form to Super Eagles… Some people go just carry suit put for neck to talk nonsense
Patrator, you speak as if Ighalo is a nonentity in football. We’re talking about an Afcon golden boot winner here!
Where are the avalanche of strikers better than Ighalo?
Osimhen – not certain to play Afcon due to injury.
Onuachu – out of Afcon due to injury.
That leaves Dessers, Awoniyi, Sadiq, and Iheanacho. Dennis is a winger, but can also play as a striker.
Are these the avalanche you referred to? 5 strikers are now an avalanche? Or are there other strikers you have in mind?
It’s your opinion not to invite Ighalo. However, the former coach obviously had a different opinion from yours, and wanted him. As a matter of fact, a fan’s opinion, although valued, does not carry the same weight as the coach’s opinion or decision.
Once again, Eguavoen as the new coach has every right to invite any player he believes can help him in his job. And that includes Ighalo. His decision to invite Ighalo or exclude him is his prerogative, and he will be held responsible for the decisions he makes.
Talking about wingers, we have Ejuke, Chukwueze, Simon, Dennis. Iwobi can also play there. And Amoo is coming in. Kalu may be reconsidered as well. We may have Lookman also. Although we have quite a few wingers, the idea of inviting Vic Moses is welcome by most fans because of his quality, but the fact remains that the coach is entitled to invite him, and any other player they need, whether the fans agree or not.
This interview sheds light on some of the problems Eguavoen has inherited as SE coach. Problems we’ve already discussed in this forum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR8_amih1vw
Click on the WATCH ON YOUTUBE link to access the video.
@Pompei
The effectiveness of a team formation is based on how the players on the field are able to perfectly carries out the instructions. In all fairness the game was tightly contested, we lost the game from our in ability to deal with set piece. In facts the two goals the Argentines scored were from set pieces and not the team formation. Maradona did not give a pass in any open play that result in a goal except for the one in the set pieces. I don’t understand how having a man to mark him will make a difference in that game.
It was key to stop Maradona from having plenty of the ball, and we failed to do that. His threat whenever he had the ball stopped us from playing our normal game. Because Maradona was getting the ball, our guys had to fall back and play behind the ball, trying to close him down, and that made us weaker offensively. Furthermore, our players trying to stop him was creating space for the likes of Cannigia and others to run into and exploit. If we had done a better job of stopping Maradona, our chances of winning that game would have been much higher.
The tactics we deployed to stop Maradona was the same tactics deployed to stop stoickov. Whenever he has the ball, our players formed a ring round him, thereby forcing him to play the backward. This was why he couldn’t make any assist throughout the match in an open play. The problem with man marking an intelligent player like Maradona, is that you are at high risk of losing the player you designated to mark him to red card or may even cause a penalty. And in a big match against Argentina you don’t want that to happen. This is why you hardly see any coach today using man marking method to nullify the star player they are playing against. Rather they create a system that will nullify his effectiveness in the game.
Well, obviously it’s a bigger challenge to mark Maradona than Stoichkov. While we successfully nullified the Stoichkov threat, which allowed us the leeway to play our attacking game, and led to us scoring 3 goals and eventually winning the game, we failed to contain Maradona, and that put substantial pressure on our entire team, resulting in our inability to attack the way we were capable of.
Maradona may not have made any passes from open play, but he hurt us in so many other ways. We can’t attack if we don’t have the ball, and Maradona kept the ball very well, for long periods, by himself, and combining with his team mates. And when he was with the ball, our boys scrambled, trying hard to defend against him. And guess what suffered when we did that? Our attack! Because resources were being deployed to stop Maradona, we could not attack in our usual way.
In 1990, Cameroon saw Maradona as their biggest threat, and they made him the focal point of their tactics. The idea was to stop Maradona at all costs, anyhow, any which way. Yes, it cost them a couple of red cards, but they kept at it, and it worked. In THE 2014 mundial, Germany shut down Messi, and that helped them to win the game. And they won quite handsomely too, by 4 goals to nil.
My point is playing 4-4-2 against an Argentina with Maradona was tactically naive. One DM against Maradona? Well, we paid for it in the end. And we kept making the same mistake with Messi. With identical results.
Anyway, I’ve enjoyed our little debate, Mercy.
I will respond to any further comments you have later.
Cheers!
I do not agree with you that we do not attack in our usual way in that game. Recall we scored one goal, which was an orchestrated team effort goal and created other few chances which we failed to take.
Anyways, bro is nice having this wonderful discussion with you
Mercy, we would have attacked much better if Maradona was absent, or was contained. Failure to contain Maradona put pressure on our attacking outlets, and reduced the potency of our attack.
So, yes I also disagree with your view completely.
@ Golden Child
My interest has always been a about having an idea driven platform and to a large extent, that has been achieved going by the subsequent commentaries. I’m sure you took note of the fact that I actually made that comment 15hrs ago.
I tell you, it wasn’t a kind of call out to see who is reading or being whipped into line but a sincere pad suggestive error, I meant to type center backs. Thanks all the same.
Going forward, whoever appears on Coach Eguavoen’s provisional list for the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be acceptable.
I have reminded before more and more Eguavoen will success if he must do some things which can help him to replicate the late coach Stephen Kechi as vetern ex Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai have said; he must study how Kechi lifted and won 2013 Afcon. Cup in South Africa; which factors made him lifted this cup or win this tournament?; also Eguavoen must play a classical Nigerian football which was lacked by Oga Rhor who destroyed a feat and luxurious football with flxibility and short passes and keeping the ball for a long time then pressing on the rival, playing with flying wingers who pass ground and high ball for strikers; playing with a verstile playmaker who can grant strikers with through and depth balls; Eguavoen must recall a quality players who have charisma and genuineness at thier clubs and the have proprty of combat and ferociousness who play a drastic and rigid defensive and attcking football.Eguavoen must put a plan with supporting from NFF and fans to help him to do his job successfully.
This are the kind of explayers i want to listen to not politicians explayers looking for job from politicians dodo Mayana thanks you spoke well greetings to you this is what rohr don’t have he is not updated with modern football first thing a good coach does always prepare his team confidentially, discipline, and tactically that is while i like the likes of Guardiola, klopp.