It seems the football-loving Nigerians will finally be getting their wish. After Augustine Eguavoen, the interim coach of the Nigeria men’s National Team announced on Brila FM that the super eagles of
Nigeria would play completely attacking football. According to Eguavoen, the 11 players on the field will work to defend and attack together.
“We have intelligent players who will play the way we want them to play. We will play with 11, attack with 11, and defend with 11”.
Gernot Rohr was criticized heavily for his boring and defensive approach to games. Perhaps Eguavoen can finally deliver to Nigerians the style of play they want under Rohr with results.
Eguavoen is expected to lead Nigeria to this Bi-annual Africa showpiece in Cameroon after he was appointed as the interim coach of the super eagles, in the wake of the sack of Gernot Rohr. This is not the first time Eguavoen will be leading Nigeria’s national team to AFCON.
He was the head coach of the team that won bronze in 2006, where Nigeria was beaten by the Ivory Coast 1-0 in the semi-finals. The calibres of players Eguavoen worked within in 2006 are different from the players at his disposal now in 2021.
In 2006, he worked with Nigerian legends like Jay-Jay Okocha, Joseph Yobo, Wilson Oruma, Kanu Nwakor (papillo), Taye Taiwo, Mikel Obi. This time around, he is working with a much younger squad that features the likes of Alex Iwobi, Everton, Kelechi Iheanacho, Leicester city, Samuel Kalu, Bordeaux, and Moses Simon, Nantes.
Nigeria will take on Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, and Egypt in the group stage of the tournament. Nigeria and Egypt are the favourites to qualify from this group to the next round.
