By Neydu Wordsmith Onuoha
The Super Eagles are out of AFCON 2019 and it is time to look at what went wrong and the way forward. First, let me say this- I am very passionate about football, I am equally very passionate about the Super Eagles, in fact, much more passionate about the Nigerian selection than I am of Chelsea Fc, the football club that I support.
Having crashed out, we can look at ourselves and tell ourselves the obvious truth.
1. The Super Eagles need a playmaker:
The Super Eagles are in dire need of a playmaker, we have to go look for that creative player who can orchestrate play if this team must be a world beater at the World Cup in Qatar 2022. Iwobi hasn’t proven to be one yet, maybe, be can grow his game with time, but even at that, he needs competition, so whomever will be Nigeria’s coach needs to find such a player.
2. The Super Eagles have no goalkeepers:
Akpeyi and Ezenwa are no goalkeepers as far as I am concerned. Akpeyi does not even inspire confidence and he can’t improve because he is already old, this should be his last outing with Nigeria. Ezenwa either isn’t good. Dude couldn’t even be 1st choice at local clubside Enyimba and plays for second-tier Nigerian side Katsina United, he should stay far away from the Nigerian national team just like Akpeyi. An argument can be made for Uzoho that he is younger than the other two goalkeepers, but he needs competition, if Nigeria must become a world beater, we need a better than Uzoho and whomever will be our coach going forward must go around the country and the world looking for good goalkeepers, there is Maduka Okoye in Germany, give him a call up and let’s start from there.
3. We must look beyond Gernot Rohr:
Gernot Rohr has tried so much in bringing back discipline, organisation and calm to the Nigerian national team and has given his best. We have seen the best of Herr Rohr but is it enough? Certainly not! If we must be world beaters at the World Cup in 2022, we need an A-list coach, not some journeyman whiteman. We need an A-list coach who thinks, eats and breathes tactics. Not some Dussuyer or Alain Giresse! Such a coach will cost the Federation, but we can afford it!
Nigeria has so much quality not to be perennial kings of African football. We must tick the 3 boxes above if the Eagles want to be truly Super again.
