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Ever since Nigeria fired coach Gernot Rohr a few months ago, the focus of many football analysts have shifted to the Super Eagles, particularly on how the interim boss, Augustine Eguavoen, will turn things around in Cameroun.
In sacking Rohr, the NFF said it was unhappy with the team’s form despite the fact they won their World Cup qualifying group. Rohr is now history.
The absence of some key players in the Super Eagles’ squad notwithstanding, Eguavoen says the technical crew would inject creativity into the team to surpass their foes, beginning with Tuesday’s opening match against seven times champions, Pharaohs of Egypt.
Before he departed Abuja on Wednesday for Garoua, venue of their Group matches, Eguavoen, who led the Super Eagles to a bronze medal finish at Egypt 2006, stated that the dream of clinching fourth AFCON title in history by the Nigerian football is achievable despite parading a team, which many fans feel posses depth creative skills.
Though, Eguavoen admitted that the biggest challenge confronting the Super Eagles is the near total absence of a creative play in the middle, but assured that the technical crew under his watch will improve on it.
He is banking on CSKA Moscow striker, Chidera Ejike, as the magic wand to change the creative misfortunes of his team, when hostilities begin in Garoua.
Eguavoen is not putting his eggs in one basket. He stated that in case the CSKA Moscow wonder kid fails to live up to the huge challenge on his shoulder, there are other available options that could be exploited to breath creativity into the team.
The Super Eagles, who also have Guinea Bissau and Sudan as opponent in Group D, left for Cameroun on Wednesday without team captain, Ahmed Musa. He missed the team’s last training inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, on Wednesday after losing a family member.
The Fatih Karagumruk of Turkey striker was given permission to leave the team’s camp to be with family members. He is expected to join them in Garoua.
Another striker, Odion Ighalo, was eventually left out by coach Eguavoen following the refusal of his Saudi Arabian club, Al-Shabab, to release him.
A clause in the contract he signed with the club, which indicated that he was no longer active internationally for Nigeria, may have prevented him from participating in the tournament.
Before then, Emmanuel Dennis of Watford FC and Victor Osimhen of Napoli were ruled out of the team’s participation in Cameroun.
While Watford blocked Dennis from participating at the AFCON, Osimhen pulled out after doctors advised him not to rush his comeback from a fatal facial injury he suffered while playing for Napoli in the Italian Serie A. His club also claimed that Osimhen tested positive to COVID-19.
Osimhen was replaced with Henry Onyekuru, while the exclusion of Cyprus–based Abdullahi Shehu made way right back Tyrone Ebuehi, now with Venezia in the Italian Serie A. England–based Oluwasemilogo Ajayi returns for injured Leon Balogun.
Guardian.
