Former Super Eagles forward Anthony Ujah believes Augustine Eguavoen is the right man to lead the team.
Ujah took charge of the Super Eagles in interim capacity for this month’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are still searching for a foreign expatriate to tinker the Super Eagles.
Ujah however stated that the NFF should stick with Eguavoen.
“The team is in a transitional phase, moving from coach José Peseiro to finding a new coach,” Ujah told Brila FM.
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“Eguavoen as the interim manager is one thing I’m really happy about.
“I don’t know how long he’ll be there, but he’s a good man, and the players respect him.”
Ujah further highlighted the importance of respect between players and coaches, referencing the recent conflict between Victor Osimhen and Finidi George.
“One thing in football is that if players don’t respect the coach, it becomes difficult. Unfortunately for Finidi, that’s what happened,”Ujah added.
“Whatever happened between him and Osimhen wouldn’t have happened with Eguavoen because they all respect him.”
By Adeboye Amosu
9 Comments
Having taken the Eagles to Afcon finals and winning a medal in the process and that besides his current form, means Coach Eguaveon is good for the job.
NFF should give him 2years to manage Super Eagles.
To have defeated a foreign coached side (Coach Rohr) to a 3 unreplied goal margin, says a lot. Unless the football body wants to keep wasting time and resources searching for some untested wannabes. At the moment, the team is doing okay and in hamony.
Two years aren’t enough.
The signs are worrying because the Super Eagles need a tactically grounded technicians who can return the team to winning ways in March’s World Cup qualifiers.
4 points in those games will be insufficient against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in the next round of World Cup qualifiers – only 6 points will suffice. And can the USA ’94 Second Round extra-time World Cup villain deliver?
Now, Eguavoen would have played 6 games with the Super Eagles by then in Afcon qualifiers, enough time for him to have run out of steam, ideas and initiatives based on his antecedents.
By that time, the coaches of Zimbabwe and Rwanda would have known what Eguavoen is about and would be very ready to neutralize him effectively.
I still think Eguavoen should see out October’s round of Afcon qualifiers and slowly hand over to a ruthless coach in November before March’s World Cup qualifiers.
If however Eguavoen shows indications of going from strength to strength in October’s Afcon qualifiers with clear signs of enhanced tactical diversity, direction and depth, then there maybe (just maybe) the embryo of a case for him to continue to World Cup qualifiers in March would have be manifest.
But it is too early to make that case based on 2 games where he has actually started regressing from victory with many goals against Benin (who didn’t know how he will set the Super Eagles up) to a draw of no goals against Rwanda (who knew what to expect from him and clipped his wings somewhat, though aided by a corrupt referee).
All that said, many fans remain grateful to Eguavoen for stabilizing the team after to fumble of Finidi’s reign.
To conclude, if Eguavoen shows more marked improvements against Libya in October, then the case for his continuation will be strong. If not, the NFF should unveil a foreign coach without delay to take over from November onward with him initially serving as the Assistant to aid in the smooth and gradual transition.
I think you (@Deo) are unfair in your criticism of Eguavoen in the Rwanda away goalless draw. To be fair, the SE under Eguavoen played far better in Kigali than they did in Uyo against Benin, if you watch both matches carefully. A combination of hard luck and poor officiating robbed the Eagles of winning the Kigali game by atleast 4-0 if performance equated results in that game.
Let’s give Eguavoen chance to make SE a formidable and feared African football powerhouse.
Tony, you left out the brilliance of the Rwandan goalkeeper who kept out no less than 3 clear-as-day scoring chances.
All that said, the Super Eagles could not overcome all the footballing and non-footballing/administrative obstacles and chicaneries stacked against them in against Rwanda on the day; shades of how Eguavoen also failed to overcome the administrative away-goals rule against Ghana in Abuja’s second leg Qatar world cup qualifiers.
Well, I agree with you Tony that we should give Eguavoen the chance in October against Libya to prove he can overcome footballing and administrative obstacles in key qualifiers, after all Ghana also faced the away-goals admin obstacle in 2022 world cup qualifiers against Nigeria which they overcame.
The same Augustine who fails us as a coach , does it mean we don’t have coach?
I think NFF should back Eguavoen to be great coach just like Stephen Keshi and Amodu Shaibu , this means NFF should deal him like foreign coach this grants him pushing to do well for Super Eagles , then he can inhance his tactical and technical thoughts which will develop SE ,so SE can be incredible and formidable team, I differ with deo , he think if NFF hire Eguavoen permanently , he will fail again for leading SE to the next World Cup 2026 cause he has recently failed to lead SE to the last World Cup 2022 in Qatar; I think again Eguavoen will benefit from his failing and his losing , then he can correct his errors with many studing SE competitors in World Cup group just especially the boys South Africa and Rwanda cause they are now the dangerous against SE to qualify to the World Cup, he also can correct tactical errors which have banished SE from the last World Cup 2022 in Qatar, he can summon merit and talented players to SE squad just like Adarabioyo, George Ilnekhina , Omordion, Hamzat Ojeridan, Cyriel Dessers, Ifeanyi Matthew,he must dump from shaky players like Kelechi Iheancho, Tayo Awoniyi, paul Onuachu, Tanimu,Victor Boniface , Osayi Samuel; he also can summon talented right back Fredric Benjamine instead of shaky Osayi Samuel; Eguavoen can still depend on 3-4-3 as a suitable formation for SE than to depend on 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 which have failed then lost SE more games , 3-4-3 has made SE balanced team , has also made them defend deeply , then has made them to attack antagonistically, the midfielders have been playing in depth , see Ndidi and Iwobi on Benin match how they have given more through passes for Lookman; so Eguavoen with style of play he can thus time will success I hope that…