Former Nigeria international Ifeanyi Udeze says new interim coach Austin Eguavoen and his crew will struggle with the Super Eagles at next year’s AFCON.
Udeze said this in Thursday’s edition of Sports Breakfast Show on Brila FM.
Eguavoen was drafted in as a replacement for Gernot Rohr who was sacked as Eagles head coach.
The former Eagles defender will take charge of the team at next month’s tournament.
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In his first AFCON as Eagles coach, he led the team to a third-placed finish.
And ahead of the next edition, Udeze expresses doubts positing that the time is too short for Eguavoen and his coaching crew to impact anything on the team.
“It’s going to be very difficult for Eguavoen and his coaching crew to do anything with the Super Eagles at next year’s AFCON,” Udeze said.
“The problem is that the time is too short for them to perform, no friendly game has been lines up to prepare the team so it would be very difficult for them to do well.
“But I wish them all the best and hope they do well.”
The Eagles are in Group D with Egypt, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan.
37 Comments
All of us have been here. I think it was one Oseodion, a Rohr sustainer who started calling on Rohr to arrange for friendlies for the SE but all that fell into deaf ears. Some others have equally been calling for friendlies or warm up matches even with local club sides and uptil now, Coach Egu hasn’t done anything. Udeze a one time Super Eagles player who left his footprints behind is very right, Egu, Salisu and their team haven’t enough time at hand but let’s see what he can do with the two weeks. My opinion is that he should use Afcon as a training ground to better prepare our SE for the World cup. At that time, Coach Egu and Salisu won’t have any excuse. That means they must deliver on the agreement with NFF.
Stop this using AFCON as a training ground. Each time I hear using AFCON as grooming or training ground I feel like running mad. A team that qualify for Afcon with games to spare is not going to AFCON as a training ground. A team that took bronze in the last outing is not going to the next one as a team on exhibition. Imagine is not up to two weeks of Rohr departure SE have drop to a team going to AFCON on exhibition, grooming, tourist and training.I can only imagine the actual disaster waiting. Why not play friendlies with home base eagles? We have local coaches who should identify local good talented players and organize friendlies for home base eagles.
@Marvellous, the disaster hasn’t started yet. Let’s wait small now. I have said it before, that some Nigerians like being in a state of confusion. That is what has been programmed into them without their knowing – Omo9ja, Jimmylie, Chima E Samuels and Ugo “Blabbermouth” Iwunze. Make we day siddon look now. Even Segun Odegbami falls into this category of people. I am sure now Eguavoen and his crew are fighting over who to call into the team.
@Marvelous. I just told you the plain truth and should that make you mad, why not? Go ahead. How do you allocate just two weeks for a coach to bring Afcon cup home? He hasn’t even met with the boys and we are left with days to go. Can’t you see a recipe hanging? That’s not saying my trust isn’t with the crew but whatever happens must be accepted since they have more time with the team, to prepare for playoffs in March and the World cup itself. This isn’t rocket science.
Why did you not accept whatever happened with RHOR.
Stop moving the goal post please what we wanted with RHOR was to win the nation’s cup and that will not change with any coach even if they gave him 1 second to coach the team.
Why did you sack RHOR if all you wanted was exhibition?
Exactly!!! If u wanted to use Afcon as training ground, why fire Rohr? Moreover, what’s the guarantee that we’d qualify for WC? So basically, use Afcon (a proper tournament) to prepare for qualifiers… Lol. Honestly, as things stand, and with the calibre of coaches in the team, I’m not so confident abt our WC qualifiers. I hope we qualify.
Rohr spent six years with a very talented crop of players and could not mold them into a winning squad, Afcon under Rohr could have been a disaster , the hand writing was on the wall. Eguavoen and his crew should be given time to steady the team and use AFCON to prepare for the World Cup Qualifiers. If we give Eguavoen any target at the AFCON in cameroun it means we are not sincere.
Sacking rhor is not a problem but the timing. The man shld had been allowed to take the team to Afcon.
Udeze is talking nonsense. The Super Eagles will do very well in Cameroon. Eguavoen will suprise everyone.
Ifeanyi Udeze! No wonder African China call you “Man wey Sabi”. Always spitting the Gospel Truth. But like they say truth is bitter..
@Marvelous you have been making a very valid point all this while and I want to thank you so much… I don’t know whether they don’t know the meaning of training ground. How can you use a major tournament for testing ground or gaining experience or what so ever.. what is then the aim for friendlies and qualifiers… You see have said this here time and time again. Afcon is for men. No be child’s play!!!
even if we don’t win the cup, we will see eye pleasing football (Throwback 2006)
@Sam K, it is your mindset that encourages mediocrity in performance. So all you want to see is dribbles and people shouting with no purpose of winning abi? No wonder Nigeria is in distress. Entertaining football with no accolades. We are waiting o.
@ Sam K where was the beautiful football when eguavoen failed to qualify us for the Olympics? Where was the beautiful football when he got sacked from various clubs in the NPL? no yawa. We go see the beautiful football.
You are a kid judging from your statement. Beautiful football without purpose is nonsense. Every team competes for a trophy, gold silver or bronze. You can as well play eye pleasing and get out in group stage.
I am glad that there some people in Nigeria who are not dreamers building castles in air how can you say that given a short time that who ever the coach is will turn things around, you want entertaining football good luck.
No you guys should not change the target please. You people must win o! That’s our Target under GENERAL ROHR before your impatient made you people gang up and kick him out.. So contuinity please.. Abi you guys are not tired of bronze??? Because if GENERAL ROHR were to be still in charge and give you all the beautiful football but go out in the group stage or with bronze or even silver you would have call for his head.. But now we must win Afcon abeg cos e don tey small. Na our plan be that be una scatter everything..
Even Arsenal with their beautiful football, at the end of the season even if it is FA cup they will use that to make their fans smile not to talk about Barca… You guys can be able to merge the two na… LMAO! Ole!! They have started to talk on one side of their mouth
IF THEY KNOW THAT THE TIME IS SHORT, WHY ARE THEY ACCEPT THE OFFER.
WE DON’T WANT EXCUSE. THEY MUST DELIVER AFCON FOR US.
NO STORY
Pinnick said they sacked rohr to “prevent” and impending “disaster” but the truth is, the disaster is already hear with us having sacked a coach with just few weeks to a major tournament and replaced by a bunch of nut heads. Next years afcon would be the worst ever outing we’ve ever had in history. There are chances we won’t even make it out of the group stage and then, they will now tell us that he (eguavon) had no time to prepare his team. If you knew u wouldn’t have enough time to build a formidable team, why then would u sack a coach that has met all the targets given to hima and already begun making plans for the competition and probably win it? If at all the nff wanted some changes, why didnt they consider rejigging his technical crew with seasonsed professionals that would assist rohr in every ramifications? Yobo has no biz whatsover on the technical crew bench. He is just a waste of space and tax payers money but nobody looked his way. Nobody talks about him, nobody see his presence as a clog in the wheel in the progress of the team. They were just fixated and possessed with the demon of removing rohr at all costs. Nigerians have a very big problem. In fact, our leaders are demons who only care of their own personal gains without considering the consequences of their irrational decisions. The disaster is already here with us. You wanted change, here u have it.
You’re perfectly right.
@Vincent, I did. But quite unfortunate, Rohr told the press he was only listening to his technical unit. We will leave that behind now.
That Eguavoen has only 2 weeks to prepare the Super Eagles for Afcon22, that he has been there before having won bronze in Egypt and all that talks are in order, but what I do know, Coach Eguavoen sees this as a new challenge. There’s a team on the ground, all the Super Eagles Coach and his team need to do is dot the i’s and cross the t’s. I want to believe they have started doing that by extending invite to some few players(Amoo, Nwakali, Ebuehi , Dennis, Desser, though I’m not sure of all) that they need to introduce to the team to make us a team to beat in Afcon.
I think they are getting the necessary support from the NFF and the Nigerian football fanatics, this should serve as an encouragement to do greater things and triumph in Cameroon.
Thank you @Oseodion. The new challenge caught my fancy. SE coaching crew has an excellent opportunity to deliver the cup to Nigerians. I always believed challenges produce resistance, which develops inner fortitude. As you go through challenges, you become stronger and stronger. A part of my tells me Jay Jay and Kanu couldn’t have been with the Super Eagles for nothing. But I really want them to move with the speed of a thunderbolt.
Pinnick said they sacked rohr to “prevent” an impending “disaster” but the truth is, the disaster is already hear with us having sacked a coach with just few weeks to a major tournament and replaced by a bunch of nut heads. Next years afcon would be the worst ever outing we’ve ever had in history. There are chances we won’t even make it out of the group stage and then, they will now tell us that he (eguavon) had no time to prepare his team. If you knew u wouldn’t have enough time to build a formidable team, why then would u sack a coach that has met all the targets given to him and already begun making plans for the competition and probably win it? If at all the nff wanted some changes, why didnt they consider rejigging his technical crew with seasonsed professionals that would assist rohr in every ramification? Yobo has no biz whatsover on the technical crew bench. He is just a waste of space and tax payers money but nobody looked his way. Nobody talks about him, nobody sees his presence as a clog in the wheel in the progress of the team. They were just fixated and possessed with the demon of removing rohr at all costs. Nigerians have a very big problem. In fact, our leaders are demons who only care of their own personal gains without considering the consequences of their irrational decisions. The disaster is already here with us. You wanted change, here u have it.
Rohr is not at the helms anymore sad as it’s but we have to move on.
The decision taken is disastrous by Pinnick and his colleagues,who does that sacking a coach who has met all targets a few weeks to a major tournament!wow it’s absurd indeed, strange decision by strange leaders.
I thought history should have taught them the bitter lessons of sacking a successful coach moments before a major competition,but sadly our strange leaders don’t learn most of their decisions are made on selfish and personal grounds,crosses against the gaffers rather than on sporting or professional grounds.
This Nff president will come and leave just like his precessedors but the fans are the ones to suffer the outcome of their irrational decisions.The country has to live with the history and records of failures products of this weird decisions.
Why couldn’t Pinnick wait until after the Afcon to decide Rohr’s fate why was he so in a hurry to get rid of Rohr?
Eguavoen has excuses to make should he fails but who wouldn’t?A team primed to win the Afcon is suddenly one going there without much expectations just because of a silly decision by one politician who knows nothing about football.
We are definitely going to witness the introduction of new faces to the team just like every new coach would,probably a new captain so how can Eguavoen blend them to play as a unit as well manage to keep the players happy by building a good and friendly atmosphere same way Rohr did in his time at the helms.This are some of the growing concerns.
However,with the retention of a good number of the coaching staffs,and Eguavoen not particularly new to how things are done in the team we are hoping on this grounds they could pull something good we just have to keep our fingers crossed hoping for a successful tournament end of the day it’s all about super eagles and the laurels.
Good luck Eguavoen you will need it.
Eagles will get to the semis I can bet you it has happened time and time again it is when you have lost hope with eagles that they will rise to the occasion. They might wobble in the beginning but they will eventually rise to the occasion. My only problem is team selection Awoniyi is hot now , Calvin Basset is hot , Emmanuel Dennis is equally hot can they be brought in and weed out expired players like Moses Simon and Musa, Igalo, while working on how to bring in Lookmam, Olise, and Eberechi Eze
Was it not the same semis that rohr took the team to against all odds that many felt was not an achievement????? Hahaha… Now, getting to the semis and no longer winning the cup is now a milestone eh??? Before rohr was sacked, the narrative was to win the cup but now na to manage reach the semis and then we’ll beat our chest and say we did well…. Hahaha….absurd people…Karma is a bitch! This just the beginning. You’ll all shall one day regret ever, ever wishing for or moving for the sack of rohr at this time. Ndi ara!!!
Since I left Nigeria for overseas 20 years ago, the only thing that kept my bond to Nigeria apart from family and friends is Nigerian soccer. I followed it judiciously that I even traveled to Brazil (2014) and South Africa (2010 and 2013) to watch my beloved Super Eagles. I met and had a chat with Keshi, Sylvania Okpala, Mikel and Victor Moses. I gained much insight into the administrative style of NFF and all the shenanigans going on in the Glass house then.
To my surprise, there has been no improvement to date, rather things were actually getting worse by the day just as every departments and parastatals in the country.
Winning the 2013 AFCON that year was as a result of the players resolve to vindicate the coach and technical team who have already been verbally sacked before the quarter final match against Cote D’voire and the players’ flight return tickets handed over to the team secretary then, Dayo Enebi. These players then vowed that they are prepared to die on that pitch than to allow the star-studded Ivorians beat them. The rest is history.
The 2013 team is known to be the weakest Nigerian team to win an AFCON. Only Mikel and Moses are the known stars in that team
NFF are known for a knee-jerk actions whenever their administrative failures and fraudulent activities are about to be exposed hence they rock the boat and put their stooges in position to cover their yansh. Pinnick mentioned that Rohr was loosing the dressing room because players talk back at him, is coaching supposed to be a one way thing? Even at varsity, a student will ask a professor questions and clarifications not to talk of National soccer in which all these players come from top coaches in the top 5 Euro leagues hence need to chip in a thing or two in their tactical approach.
Rohr was sacked simply because they drafted Yobo in to sabotage Rohr but found out that Yobo was not able to achieve this successfully. Then the plan B was to draft Eguavoen into the coaching team that will override Rohr’s decisions in order to fill the team slots with their players and take decisions on who plays on match day. This was rejected in strong terms by Rohr hence they hurriedly terminated his contract and came up with this consortium of failed coaches.
Do you guys think it’s a sheer coincidence that all our age grade soccer teams are dead while the Falcons are on the way soon???
We shall siddon dey look sha, but I seriously wish SE will win this coming AFCON if the players themselves can be determined like the 2013 set to win it an then come out to say they are dedicating the triumph to coach Gernot Rohr
Rohr is now in the past unless you are living with a reversed opinion. When Belmadi was give a role with the Fennec Foxes of Algeria, many had kicked but today, he remains a shinny example worth imitation. High time Nigeria began to believe in her own. Rohr did his bit to say the truth, but life abhor no vacuum. Should the present coaching team do well in afcon, we should be grateful to have them at the World cup because what is important is the winning spirit.
They can’t know my bro. It’s just that those that are against coaches of African orientation, are few. The Belmadi you mentioned had proved himself by winning the last AFCON, Senegal cisse collected silver why our oyibo could 9nly settle down with a bronze medal. Only a fool would go against his own when there are every trappings of success. Their frustration could’ve been Amaniki
You are just spot on! U just nailed it. Anybody dealing with these nff scribes should know that they are dealing with green snakes.
@TALK UR OWN, your own na order, they must deliver even in capslock….ha ha ha, funny sha as! @Osedion, first of all, I’m just citing the national colors jersey wore by the Super Eagles Head Coach, ha ha ha ha. @Pius and @Monkey, let me come a bit low to the understanding of this forum…. ha ha ha ha, you know, no matter what, Nigerians are the most happiest on Earth where we even have Commissioners of Enjoyment, that’s not saying we don’t have for Employment o… @Pius, said they should move with the speed of a thunderbolt, ha ha ha. @Eguavoen and @Yusuf, what are we to expect na? Lolz!
Wale, we are expecting GOLD.
@Wale tinuke we are expecting them to “fail with their own”. LMAO!!!!!!!!!
Whether is Rorh,Eguavoen or any other coach, Nigeria will still win the AFCON in Cameroun.
Serious minded people go to every tournament fully prepared with the intention of winning and becoming the tournament’s champion but hopeless idiots talk about being satisfied seeing beautiful football. Are we talking about a different Eagles or has the target now been lowered, I thought we want nothing less than the gold at AFCON?
Udeze estimation on Eguavoen is wrong;Eguavoen is Nigerian football technical committee, he was following the movement of Super Eagles team on the ground,also he has a certificate of modern football; he also has a tactical philosophy whitch can help SE to success in this African champoinship.Vetern skipper Eguavoen has exprience on coaching SE and how to deal with players; but he needs the support from NFF and fans to do his job successfully.