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Super Eagles caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen has raised eyebrows with his squad selection for Nigeria’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations doubleheader against Libya, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Saturday unveiled the 23-man list chosen by Eguavoen, sparking mixed reactions among fans and pundits.
Following a decent start to his interim tenure—marked by a win over Benin Republic and a draw against Rwanda last month—Eguavoen has opted to stick with the core of that squad.
The only changes see Victor Osimhen and Olisa Ndah miss out due to injury.
It’s clear what Eguavoen is trying to achieve: Coaches tend not to change winning teams. Retaining players ensures continuity and consistency. Any philosophy the coach is implementing is better assimilated when the squad spends more time together.
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However, Eguavoen must remember that the Super Eagles are Nigeria’s national team, not a private-owned, small-town club battling relegation.
Some of the players he has selected are far from being the best available for their positions.
At least five players on the list have struggled with form, are not playing regularly for their clubs, or are featuring in leagues considered inferior to Nigeria's.
For instance, how can Eguavoen justify the inclusion of a goalkeeper from the Ethiopian league in the Super Eagles squad for an AFCON qualifier?
This decision mirrors former coach Finidi George, who invited a defender from the Tanzanian league for a World Cup qualifier — a move that ultimately contributed to his premature exit.
The question is: how do you keep the national team competitive when you reward inconsistent players with consistent call-ups?
Nigeria boast top defenders in leagues such as Turkey and France, yet Eguavoen has called up a player from the English third division.
Kelechi Iheanacho, who hasn’t scored a goal for club or country in 2024, is also included ahead of in-form strikers like Cyriel Dessers, Chuba Akpom, and Josh Maja.
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Notably, Eguavoen didn’t give Iheanacho a single minute in the games against Benin and Rwanda. So why call him up again if his contribution is likely to remain minimal?
Similarly, Samuel Chukwueze has spent more time on the bench at AC Milan than on the pitch.
The 25-year-old winger has not registered a goal or an assist for club or country this year. Yet, he remains Nigeria’s first-choice right winger, with no apparent effort to find an alternative.
Nathan Tella of Bayer Leverkusen, for instance, has been overlooked, despite his potential to impress in that role.
Then there’s Taiwo Awoniyi. The Nottingham Forest striker has been battling injuries and is struggling to regain his place in the Premier League team.
What Awoniyi needs right now is time to fully recover, not a call-up to the national team. A top striker from the NPFL could have been selected instead, giving Awoniyi the chance to focus on his fitness.
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Not all of Eguavoen’s decisions are questionable, though.
The recall of Sevilla forward Chidera Ejuke is a positive move.
Ejuke has been outstanding in La Liga, making headlines for his impressive dribbling stats, which place him among the best in Europe.
However, while Ejuke is an entertainer, he must be integrated into the team’s overall strategy. He primarily plays as a left winger, a position already occupied by Moses Simon and Ademola Lookman.
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It will be interesting to see how Eguavoen manages his wide options.
Eguavoen could take a leaf from former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr’s playbook.
Rohr had a firm principle: players must be featuring regularly for their clubs to earn a national team call-up.
This approach helped Rohr enjoy success and become the longest-serving Super Eagles coach, guiding Nigeria to the World Cup.
Many are calling for Eguavoen to be handed the Super Eagles job permanently.
However, to truly prove his worth, Eguavoen must make tough decisions for the betterment of the team, even if it means upsetting certain players or fans.
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Eguavoen is the second coming of Keshi, except he is worse than Keshi in that he is even more morally bankrupt in addition to being a mediocre coach. Nigerians should not be fooled about the last two games or if he gets results against Libya. This team is stacked and we do not even have all the players that we could possibly have at our disposal (if we had a truly functioning Football Federation). Any coach can win with this team. What we have currently is a football administration structure that is corrupt to the core, from the Sports Minister down to the so-called Technical Committee of the NFF. Eguavoen will continue in the same vein as Keshi and what you are seeing with his selection is just a tip of the iceberg. The same way Keshi essentially “privatized” the SE, Eguavoen will do worse. For the record, this is still Pinnick’s NFF and the losing streak of non-achievement we witnessed under that Warri tout masquerading as a football administrator, will continue.
what’s ur name Coker or what, do you know the name you are calling any how(keshi)?
even if God give up to the next 100yrs on this earth, you can’t achieve half of all what krshi did, so pls don’t even call his name bcos he is the bigboss, world and African acknowledge all what he did oooo so you stop all this your stupid comparison.
what’s ur name Coker or what, do you know the name you are calling any how(keshi)?
even if God give up to the next 100yrs on this earth, you can’t achieve half of all what krshi did, so pls don’t even call his name bcos he is the bigboss, world and African acknowledge all what he did oooo so you stop all this your stupid comparison.
Very good write up, I just hope the coach do a better job in his call ups, there is no point calling up players who play in lower division and not playing regularly in their clubs. In the attack, only players like Simon, Lookman, ejuke should start
Why not you people go and take over and let’s see.
That’s football any selections can make a difference. Let’s see how it goes.
That’s football any selections can make a difference. Let’s see how it goes.
Tony thank you for your response to the Coke and Fanta guy. I think he is really bitter with some inferiority complex, he can cry me a river for all I care.
Stephen Keshi even in death is still the big boss in Nigerian football.
I equally believe Eguavon will do well with the right support because of his positive energy in the squad. Nigeria has so many talents and the team can shine if the morale and confidence of the players are good.
for the now, Eguavoen is our best pick for the job. he is way ahead of some of the touted foreign coaches. he made the eagles play with confidence. all he needs is ability to adapt to a different style of play should the opposition prove stoburn. me think that a little variation in approaches depending on opponents, he will do a great job for Nigeria and win laurels with the super eagles like Keshi.
Eguaveon might be the best option we have for now, but his squad selection is abysmal. Nothing should justify the inclusion of certain players in this squad. What is Taminu doing in this list for instance? He plays for a 3rd division team in England and can’t even get into their starting team. Chukwueze,Awoniyi and Iheanacho should also not be making this list for now based on current form. It leaves a lot to be desired.
what can I do hear pls