Former Nigeria international, Arthur Ebunam, has called for the immediate removal of Austine Eguavoen as the Super Eagles Interim Technical Adviser, insisting that the former national team captain lacks what it takes to coach the team, reports Completesports.com.
Ebunam made the call while speaking to Completesports.com in an exclusive interview in Awka, in reaction to the outcome of the 2022 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers playoffs first leg between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Super Eagles which ended goalless at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium Kumasi on Friday.
Arthur Ebunam
The former BCC Lions, Elkanemi Warriors and Rangers midfielder rates the Super Eagles’ performance in Kumasi below 50%, insisting that Eguavoen lacks the vital tactical knowledge of the game needed to coach the national side.
“I appraise the Super Eagles performance against Ghana below 50%. Unless the coach is changed, because he lacks tactical knowledge of the game, l don’t see the team going to Qatar,” Ebunam, who was the Special Assistant on Sports to the erstwhile governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, told Completesports.com in an exclusive interview.
Also Read – 2022 WCQ: Ekong Admits Super Eagles Players Under Pressure Ahead Ghana Clash
“The team has no pattern. A team that played four strikers with two midfielders and four defenders. The strikers were lost during the game against Ghana; no through balls to the strikers on transitional play or on counter-attack”.
On the return leg match against Ghana on Tuesday March 29 in Abuja, Ebunam warns that unless tactical changes are made in the line- up, the Super Eagles will face big problem at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
“Honestly, I don’t know if Eguavoen will make some changes in the line- up, but if it stays the same, then there will be a big problem,” Ebunam warned.
By Chigozie Chukwuleta, Awka
Copyright © 2024 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.
COMMENTS
One dimensional coach lol
Kick and run coach
Ghana is coming to ANNEXED ABUJA lol
This “self destruct” button has been saying Eguavoen is “one dimensional” coach and how the Black Stars of Ghana will slaughter the SE with their “Takashi” football in their so-called “Slaughter Slab” in Baba yara Kumasi stadium for over a month before the Friday match in Ghana.
With all their intimidation and harrassment, BS could not score a goal- didn’t even sniff a chance at goal in their home turf, yet this guy is still deluding himself dreaming they can come to our turf to beat SE and calling our coach names.
Since you know and believe coach Eguavoen is one dimensional and you hide your squad till match day and playing in your slaughter house stadium, why couldn’t score a goal, never mind the Sack loads of goals you promised to score in Baba yara stadium?
Now that we know we all your players, and their is no surprises and hiding place for BS and Otto Addo you will what Eguavoen and SE will do to your BS on Tuesday. Not long to go now.
U didn’t obviously watch the match
I don’t blamed u!
I blamed NEPA for taking their lights off in ur BOKOM area and hence u listened to some z rated fm commentary
Everything u wrote in that piece are total fabrication and a figment of ur own imagination
I hope the kingmakers called NEPA ll keep the lights on for at least 3 hrs so that u can watch the match this time around lol
Or better still go and get ur GENERATOR ready lol
Even if Ghana goes to World Cup they are not going to do anything there. It’s not Comoros or gabon
This was your comments 2 weeks ago when Wilfred Ndidi got serious injury in Europa League game btween Leicester and Rennes of Franc. You gloated that you will annihilate SE in Baba Yara stadium and make the 2nd leg in Abuja a formality even with a fully fit Ndidi on the SE side.
Hear you, Mr Selfmade:
“Even if he plays through his injury, Ghana ll still destroy the eagles in ghana!! The steams are gathering and we are preparing briskly for u all!!
I wish him a speedy recovery tho because we want the super chickens to bring all their best players to motivate us even more to completely annihilate them.”
You posted various videos, including some Clowns doing “Takashi” football dance at Babayara stadium and so many insane videos of Ancient history football, so why are you denying?
Super Eagles have come to your “dreaded slaughter slab,” and you couldn’t even score a single goal and you are here shamelessly trying to deny all the trash you have been vomiting since about a month ago and living in delusion of winning in Abuja.
Your so called hiding of players to be used and all the “mind games” and intimidation tactics in Ghana failed to work for you and now we know your players we will show you that FIFA knows what they are doing when the placed Nigeria at 32 best and Ghana languishing at 61st position.
Like I said, we shall see in a couple of days time!
Sure, @Tony, you swallowed him with this, confronting him with his own “facts”. You won’t hear him beep to this one. Coward!!!
Mark my words, this guy will disappear from this page after Tuesday. Then Ghana’s ghost would have been dead and buried. I pray SEs don’t put us to shame.
Sure he lacks the technicalities we all know that.
Unless the coach is changed, because he lacks tactical knowledge of the game…
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FACTS @ARTHUR EGBUNAM
But my problem is where have you been all this while to tell the BLIND FOLLOWERS of his the SAD TRUTH!!
What about rhor?, He is in the ranks of kloop And guardiola??
You can’t COMPARE..
KLOPP and GUARDIOLA have never coached a NATIONAL TEAM..
And you and I know that COACHING a NATIONAL TEAM is harder than COACHING a CLUB…
More HARDER it gets when they owing you like 8 months salary and expect you to deliver like PEP or KLOPP…
Rhor coached Bordeaux, he performed below bar
Really?
So GENERAL ROAR took Bordeux to their FIRST EVER UEFA CUP FINAL now known as the EUROPA LEAGUE and you call that below par?
After thrashing the Famous AC Milan 3-0 enroute to the Final?
LMFAO!
Or better still why not tell PEP and KLOPP to leave their present DAY CITY and LIVERPOOL and go and help a SMALL CLUB like NORWICH not only out of RELIGATION but into the TOP 4.
LMFAO!!
Please all the other African countries what did he win with them. And what tournament has he won since he coached in europe, he hadly lasted 2 years in any european club. So don’t come here and be looking stupid.and silly
LMFAO!
What tournament has your ROUND OF 16 CRASH HELMET COACH won?
LMFAO!
And what is the one dimension he used in that game. Just tell us one. Before some morons will come here and be saying garbage. Some players just didn’t do there part and except those players are benched, we would continue to have the same issue
One dimension in the sense that he has only one TACTICS!!
Kick and run, find the WINGERS!!
What don’t u get in this dude lol
The same man, the same tactics and the same football philosophy
Mr it clearly shows you know nothing about football. You just like to rant. Lets wait till tuesday, then u can come back and tell us he is one dimensional
Is he a Ghanaian? Probably the said weather beaten former player, Egbunam didn’t watch the match. The only thing Eguavoen didn’t do was to enter the field to help his players to score goals after all, chances were created. I will advised this guy should be ignored because what we need now is to encourage and support the team, avoiding distractions as much as possible..
Yes he is a Ghanaian!!
He has that FAMED high common sense Ghanaians are known to possesses!
U know that wisdom! Lol
His iq is as high as a Ghanaian
You can’t even write simple and correct English grammar and you’re mentioning “common sense” that is visibly uncommon with you. Which Bush in Ghana do you hail from again pls?
What nonsense is this one talking about? Come and take up the Job na. All of you will be disappointed come Tuesday. He only need to correct few things in the midfield and the wingers we are ready to go. @self destruct and monkey we are waiting.
U said that the last time, u ugly BOKOM chimp lol
Ur criminal head like a COW lol
That one in the foto is a hungry man who is nothing but an attention seeker. I haven’t heard of such name anyway. Even if he has any claim, na so dem dey talk am. Folks don’t be deceived, Egbunam or whatever is a goat. The super eagles played very well in Kumasi, tactically, they were the better side. Even Otto Addi of Ghana is still having running battle with Ghana media on it.
Once in a while, it 8s good for people like Authur Egbunam to talk at least the bitter elements on this podium need something to draw on. In all, I will say super eagles is on sound footing.
Can you beat that? And is the fool even a Nigerian? He should be ashamed of himself. I heard he is a cameroonian idiot. Eguavoen please concentrate and deliver on Tuesday, these are looking for Nigeria downfall.
Coach Amunike is there to assist. He was a world cup winning coach. We have a good combination. I assure you will see an hungry super Eagles come on Tuesday. Nigeria 4 Ghana 0
Hungry without talent is nothing
Ghanaian players are superior in talent and any unbiased person will know that the Nigerian team isn’t superior to the Ghanaian team
Ghana has the SUPERIOR TALENT!!
Nothing ll change that not even hunger!!
I hope there will be no injuries and the more reason why the players should be engaged in light training. Coach Eguavoen should play his 1st eleven to put his distractors to shame.
1. Uzoho
2. Ekong
3. Balogun
4. Zaidu
5. Aina
6. Amoo
7. Aribo
8. Etebo
9. Simon
10. Odion
11. Osimhen
Good luck SE!!!
You are spot on…That is my list too
Supported. Zaidu is good.
For me i believe omeruo needs to come in, he pairs better with eithe balogun and ekong, bothe ekong and balogun are calamity for me. Onyeka needs to come in and display the same style of friday. and every other department is fine by me
Chai! I remember GENERAL ROAR..
Damn! That man was so good at AWAY GAMES..
If it was HIM, that game in KUMASI would have ended NIGERIA 1 – 0 GHANA
Then in ABUJA it would have been a BARREN DRAW last last ( last last FANS go hala…what a boring game bla bla but last last SE would have still qualify. That is one thing with ROAH always coming out with RESULTS in a HARD way)
Instead of getting the JOB DONE and DUSTED with in KUMASI so you can just RELAX when PLAYING at HOME..
You went to play a BARREN DRAW in KUMASI and you expect the PRESSURE not to be on you in ABUJA???
SMH.. Honestly I don’t know what some of you SMOKE before getting in HERE..
LMFAO!!!!
But in previous post u admitted that its very difficult to get a win in that dreadful stadium, all of a sudden u change ur story
Yea bro..
Very Difficult doesn’t mean you can’t na…
And besides I meant under EGUAVON, it’s gonna be very difficult.
Not ROAH!
WHAT MAKES ME HATE MOST OF THIS LOCAL COACHES IS THAT,MOST OF THEM ARE BRIBE-TAKERS AND SENTIMENTAL IN PLAYERS SELECTIONS.
*** MOST OF THEM CANNOT WITHSTAND PRESSURE AND MAINTAIN THEIR STAND.
** MOST OF THEM ARE PUSHOVER.THEY CAN’T MAINTAIN THEIR DECISION
More like a fake Nigerian.
NIGERIA loves mediocrity. The Ministry of Sports, Pinnick, Amuneke aband d Eguavoen ganged up and hounded Keshi, Oliseh and Rohr away. Now we’re seeing how the Super Eagles are playing without any tactical concept.
NIGERIA loves mediocrity. The Ministry of Sports, Pinnick, Amuneke and Eguavoen ganged up and hounded Keshi, Oliseh and Rohr away. Now we’re seeing how the Super Eagles are playing without any tactical concept.
Can Eguavoen’s 4-2-4 Bring Greatness To Nigeria?
Everyone is now seeing what I have been saying all this while which is that 4-2-4 may not prove sustainable long term but in truth, only time will tell.
“The Super Eagles has no pattern,” said former International Arthur Egbunam. “A team that played four strikers with two midfielders and four defender;the strikers were lost during the game against Ghana with no through balls to them on transitional play or on counter-attack,” he concluded.
Since the Afcon games against Guinea Bissau and Sudan in January, which Eguavoen actually won, I have observed this rather ballsy approach and its flaws and limitations.
To be honest, very few tacticians in modern football adopt 4-2-4 for long periods in games.
An in reality, Eguavoen’s boys often morph into 4-3-3 with one of the wingers (Chukwueze) often going to add body to the midfield, it nonetheless causes transitional issues and may even suggest why Chukwueze appears to have more or less struggled in all the 4 games he has started under Eguavoen.
Funnily, I am not totally against a coach trying to do something different or revolutionary, if it works and proves sustainable. But, Eguavoen seems to be taking brinkmanship to the brink with this innovative or careless approach (whichever way you choose to see it).
With this approach, his fragile midfield is always vulnerable, his wingers, who have to over-rely on take-ons, can be easily cut off and also neutralised by being ganged up on.
For all of its shortcomings, I feel this formation can still work and can prove to be deadly. I think the left centre forward and the right centre forward should be arranged one behind and to the right of the other. The wingers perhaps should drift inwards to function as sort of attacking midfielders in periods. They should desist from almost being on a parallel line with the centre forwards. As Eguavoen does at the moment, one of the wingers (Chukwueze/Ejuke) should drop deep and attempt to travel up-field with the ball (this role will suit Iwobi, retired Victor Moses or even Aribo). In this sort of arrangement, a lot (I mean a lot) will be expected of the wingers and the support striker as the 2 midfielders will more or less be defensive minded but will also need to be mobile with neat passing abilities.
It is not suprise to me that 4-2-4 is rarely used by top coaches today (although Inter Milan used it in their second half first leg Champions league encounter against Liverpool this season which left me marvelled). It is a high risk formation that exposes midfield frailties, distorts the team’s structure and shape, doesn’t always allow prolonged and sustained ball possession and can easily allow the 4 strikers in front to be either isolated or ganged up on, thereby rendering them impotent.
But, some teams have found success with 4-2-4.
Barcelona has used it, the great Brazilian world cup winning team of 1970 used it and in recent times, Antonio Conte used it to earn Bari promotion from Serie B. At times, Juventus formation under Conte morphed to 4-2-4 in game.
When it works, the centre forwards complement each other and they wingers deliver deft crosses to troublesome areas with the midfielders and centre backs locating strikers with delicious long balls.
With the right personnel and attention to details and attention to defensive duties, this formation may serve Eguavoen well. But for now, it appears to be causing more of anxiety and it raises the question of whether Eguavoen is still in touch with modern football tactics. What worked for Brazil in 1970 may prove to be a hard sell for Nigeria in 2022…
See below how 4-2-4 worked for Bari (in white Jersey).
https://youtu.be/7lOTxjgpxzw
Your post is not different from Authur Egbunam’s. Pure distraction no sense.
I’m also wondering. Nigeria host Ghana on Tuesday.
There should be no distractions to the coach now. Eguavoen should stick to what he feels is best and comfortable with.
There is nothing wrong with Wing play or even 4-2-4 formation if your players know how to adapt to changing situations. Pep Guardiola uses it sometimes depending on the opposition and then switches back to 4-3-3 when he sees the opposition overwhelming his midfielders.
Go Super Eagles and best of luck and God’s grace on Tuesday.
Bro, this is a very bad formation, it more clear from this video that is not a good formation. Is not making the team to play as a unit, this formation is not for an African team that is slow in transition, not even against Ghana team that is playing four in the middle. Is making those holes behind midfielders, in between wing back and center back empty, so it’s making it hard for q team to have a good possession and penetrate opponent’s defense. There is nothing like holding ball and have two or three options to pass the ball to
Going on from my entry above, the clip below is another example of Barcelona’s own interpretation of the 4-2-4 formula in modern times. It is a football formation after all and one that had been used by reputable teams. But there is a reason why Barcelona, Bari, Juventus and Brazil dumped it: for its obvious debilitating weaknesses.
Should Eguavoen persist with it, I just hope he knows what he is doing and has worked out a way to plug and overcome the obvious inherent flaws with this approach.
Barcelona’s 4-2-4 interpretation.
https://youtu.be/itMZz1lH4d8
Copy and paste
Do u have a copyright to all these intellectual plagiarism lol
U think doing this makes u smart but next time reference the hard people who did this video
Eguavoen should not take Nigeria to the world cup if we eventually qualify…he is not tactical. Very bad coach
Going to Ghana to get a scoreless draw is a bad result? If they have lost would you have preferred that? Pls think very well b4 writing. U pple complain about rohr, now eguavoen is here and u still complaining. May God help us. Am congratulating our boys ahead job well done.
Ghana is a football nation and they have go far in World Cup more than Nigeria,so getting drawn there is not easy
Apart from being a mediocre coach, the guy needs to explain to us the criteria he used for inviting Sadiq and Ighalo over Awoniyi. So for me is mediocrity, corruption, nepotism, and tribalism. Same awoniyi benched Sadiq in Afcon so what suddenly changed
That is what we are talking about @Sunnyb. A good coach would have sub Nacho, Moses Simonand Chukwueze and if possible, Osimhen as well because they have bn caged.
But wait a minute, can Ighalo play in such a match? Absolutely no. Even the young Osimhen did his first but he did not get the ball from the midfield. No connections between the midfielders and the strikers.
Why Ighalo, Akpeyi and John Noble in the team when we have Dessers, Nwobodo and Azubuike?
Coach Eguavoen have letting us down big time.
You nailed it too much. God bless Nigeria!!!
We won’t be saying Eguavoen lacks tactical abilities or that his team has no pattern if Moses Simon had converted that clear goal scoring opportunity a normal striker would convert or if Joe Aribo had kept the ball down after that world class true pass.
We had two clear chances in that match. On a good day, that match should have ended 2-0 in Favour of Nigeria had the players turned up when it mattered. Abi is it Eguavoen that is responsible for the missed chances too? Abeg rest
Since when you are making noise, I didn’t notice that you the whach football.mark my Would,ng3=gna1
God bless you Mr. Ebunam. Did I not say this after the match on Friday?
Super Eagles deserved a win in the first leg of the world cup qualifiers but the coaching crew again have letting the team down.
Black Stars of Ghana didn’t play anything in that encounter at all but the technical deficiencies of the coaching crew caused Super Eagles a win at the Baba Yara stadium.
Not that the Ghanaian coaching crew were technically sound but our own have not done their homework really well before the match. The list of the team tells a lot of coach Eguavoen.
Am not convinced enough about coach Eguavoen. Apart from his boldness, he’s not different from Oga Rohr.
Besides that, the addition of Amunike is not effective at all. No communications among the two coaches.
We saw the Ghanaian coach with his assistant, talking to each other on what needed to be done, that is how it should be.
I agree with you this man big time but we don’t need this distribution now. After the game on Tuesday beaten the Black stars of Ghana inside out then, NFF will know what to do as soon as possible.
I just read it somewhere now that Ghana Football Association is protesting about the 60,000 capacities MKO Abuja stadium, really?
How about the Baba Yara stadium that was over filled on Friday? And Nigeria Football Federation have not said a single word about it and we Nigerians have moved on.
Now that it is our turn, Ghanaians are protesting. The hatred is too much for the Ghanaians but why?
As I promised you Ghanaians, you and your team the black stars will be soaked in pressure comes on Tuesday. You started a battle that you can not finish.
You have intimidated our team and our fans on Friday and it is payback time. We will pepper you people with our eeeeeee, huuuuuuuuuuu, eeeeeee, huuuuuuu. Naija people, I hail you ooo. Let’s get the job done on Tuesday against Ghana my people. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
U changed ur tone haha
Ghana has humbled u lol
What happened to HOME AND AWAY huh lol
If we manage to beat Ghana to the ticket on Tuesday… Eguaveon should be sent back immediately to his technical director responsibilities. He is not a coach… his tactical knowledge of the modern game is seriously limited. He has never been an intelligent coach otherwise he should by now know that players like Chukwueze and Iheanacho should no longer be starters in the team…
What happen to “let’s fail with our own”. They have given you our own why complaining. Some of you advocated that they should give him same time they gave rohr, ordinary Ghana way their highest player na arsenal una best coach nations cup group stage no fit cough out way to handle. We sit down dey look
LMFAO!! @Douglass you see that JimmyBall and Omo9ja are the two biggest hypocrites we have on this platform mehn…
LMFAO!!!
I totally agree with u.
Him Augustine Eguavon keep exposing himself.
* His super eagle lack leadership.
* He doesn’t read the match properly, bcus removing Joe Aribo was a mistake.
* He is very afraid of making mistake, as he chose to stick on his old pattern.
* He still doesn’t know how to switch formation.
Playing goalless in Ghana doesn’t guarantee Nigeria would win at home. Eguavoen I have always repeatedly said doesn’t merit the job. It’s way bigger than him. Pinnick and co should be punished for this blunder of coach. My opinion still remains that I don’t see Nigeria qualifying with Eguavoen in charge. Furthermore Buhari’s presence at the stadium on Tuesday is going to be disastrous
Eguavoen is pressured by Pinnick and Dare to pick a team based on primitive tribal quotas so that government will give subventions to the NFF and allocations to the Ministry of Sports. This was what led to Rohr’s exit, and what will result in Nigeria’s downfall and defeat on Tuesday.
Same old story. This is how Man.United supporters and Legends alike heavily criticized Jose Mourinho that “He is not a Man.United coach”. Yet, the man gave them trophies.
5 years on, they haven’t won anything since JM left the club.
How many matches has Egu played as 9ja coach? Does that mean come Tuesday the man may not change tactics? Has the same tactics not won matches for him?
Abegi!!! All we need now is support.
Fact remains all 9ja ppl na coach wen it komz 2 football because of our passion for the game.
But in reality. Not all of us wl fare well as a coach.
FOR NOW. Let’s support the eagles. Criticism is GOOD, only when it is objective & devoid of sentiments.
Let’s get @”self destruction” what he bargains for.
GHANA WILL FAIL ON TUESDAY!
9JA ALL D WAY!!!
Thanks for this, he hasn’t coached a handful of games and they calling for his head, some hypocrites are now changing tunes, lets wait till tuesday to cruxify the man. Let him adapt the same style at the nations cup. Free flowing football. The wingers need to start putting in better crosses. The game is winnable in Abuja. Its all out attack
A scoreless draw in Ghana wanst bad, but it is a game we could have easily won, if Eguaveon had deployed the right tactics.
I was surprised he still stuck with his 4-4-2 despite the failure of that system in the last match against Tunisia. Does it mean he doesnt know how use another system? He knew how good Ghana is in the midfield. He knew they would probably dominate if we were thin in that area. Why did he still use that system? He made his team so predictable, and its like its now so easy for opponents to plan against Super Eagles under Eguaveaon.
It should have been 4-3-3, where Etebo, Aribo and Bonke/Onyeka would hold sway in the middle.
I was particularly surprised by Etebo’s bench role in that match, knowing how experienced he is , his passionate approach to matches and his ability to defend, and move box to box. Kudus wouldn’t have had that field day if Etebo and any of the DMs had been used in that match. It was just Aribo and Bonke against Partey, Kudus and Idrissu Baba in that midfield. And with Kudus’ tricky movements and abiliy to draw opponents to himself, how on earth on was Eguaveon expecting us not have holes that the Ghanaians can easily exploit in the midfield.
We all saw what Etebo brought in immediately he came on. His pressure on Baba in Ghana’s box almost resulted in a penalty. Its so funny the way Eguaveon is handing tactical issues in the Super Eagles. He can do a lot, tbh.
His continued retention of Kelechi in the first eleven is also a great concern to me. I can’t say this has been his contribution since that goal against Egypt at the AFCON. Against Ghana, Osimhen didn’t benefit a thing from him throughout the duration of the match. He was slow, clumsy and largely ineffective. When we had that free kick, I thought it was time for him to redeem himself. But his effort was nothing but a thrash
We need a drastic tactical change if we are to beat Ghana in Abuja. It beats my imagination that our wingers knew very well that Ghana came with a game.plan to double up on them, but they still chose to dribble their way through instead of quick release and one-two exchanges to free up any extra man around. They should stop that madness because it won’t work in Abuja.
He also needs to tell his strikers to be calm in the 18 yard box. Onyeka, Aribo, Osimhen and Simon wasted glorious chances to kill the game in Kumasi. We also saw a lot of errors like this in Cameroon from Moses, Ejuke, Aribo and Iheanacho. Goals decide a match, no matter how well or bad you play. When you Don’t take your chances, your chances will take you to anguish and regret.
The truth is that Egu is tactically poor and need to be replaced but the question is, is it the right time for such call Mr Ebunam the answer is no please sir SE dosen’t need such distraction now all they need now is our support and prayers plaese sir.
This is how you people always press self-destruct button as if we are under a spell of no progress. What we need is support and belief in ourselves.