Nigeria head coach hopeful Nsien reveals his love for Guardiola, Wenger; how he plans to get Super Eagles great again

United States U-19 national team coach Michael Nsien has revealed how he plans to get the Super Eagles soaring again if he is appointed the team’s new boss, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nsien, alongside Emmanuel Amunike, George Finidi, Sylvanus Okpala, and Sunday Oliseh, among several others, applied for the Super Eagles coaching job last week.

The Nigeria Football Federation had called for applications from qualified candidates to fill the position after Portuguese gaffer Jose Peseiro vacated the seat following the conclusion of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

While former Barcelona winger Amunike is considered the favourite to land the job, Nsien fancies his chances, especially after his impressive performance coaching the US U-16 and U-19 teams.

Highlighting how he plans to bring the best out of the Super Eagles, Nsien is intentional about finding the right balance between defending and attacking.

The former Nigeria U-23 defender also shaded Peseiro for deploying the Super Eagles to play ultra-defensive football when blessed with many attacking talents.

“I could have the squad defensively disciplined but have the balance better in the attack,” Nsien told the Punch.

“We (Nigeria) have too many top attacking players to sit back and take pressure. Get the players to be galvanised and feel valued by the federation and within the team, and win.”

As former Sporting CP manager Peseiro found out in his 22 months in charge, the job of the head coach of the Super Eagles is one of the toughest on the planet.

However, Nsien is not fazed by such a daunting task.

“It is one of the most demanding, for sure,” Nsien admits.

“One reason being that there are over 200 million opinions about the coach and team selection and performance. I know I would only thrive with that type of push.

“As a Nigerian American coach, I definitely believe I can achieve a lot for Nigeria with the talented crop of players we have. I would also do it in the style that Nigerians want to see. Brave, relentless, with flair.”

Nsien took to coaching after ending a playing career predominantly spent in the United States.

Still, the 43-year-old reveals he stays in touch with the evolution of the European footballing philosophy while studying a few of the game’s greatest coaches.

“I admire anyone who is brave enough to change the game,” Nsien added.

“Guys like (Arsene) Wenger, Pep (Guardiola), (Jose) Mourinho and now (Roberto) De Zerbi.”

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, to parents of Nigerian descent, Nsien was at the Stadium to watch the Super Eagles’ first-ever match at the FIFA World Cup. Nigeria defeated Bulgaria 3-0 inside the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on 22 June 1994.

Nsien has stayed in love with Nigerian football ever since.

“The first game I watched in a stadium was Nigeria vs Bulgaria at the 1994 World Cup,” the former Portland Timbers star recalled.

“I’ve followed closely since then. So, the memory of (Rashidi) Yekini grabbing the net after scoring early in the match, I will never forget.

“Easy to list the likes of (Austin) Okocha, (Nwankwo) Kanu, Mikel (Obi). As a defender, I also followed (Joseph) Yobo, (Celestine) Babyaro, and others.

“The current squad is very talented. We will know more about this generation when we look back on their achievements.”

The NFF has not announced the name of the new Super Eagles coach, with Peseiro’s assistant Finidi expected to lead the team in friendlies against Ghana and Mali later this month.