Isa Ladan Bosso is driven to succeed.
Fifteen years ago, the coach was in charge of the team who suffered a late collapse to Chile in the quarterfinal of the FIFA U20 World Cup in Canada.
Brown Ideye, Efe Ambrose and Elderson Echiejile were on that Flying Eagles team and they will go on to be capped by the Super Eagles.
Bosso has now likened his current squad to that Class of 2007.
“This team remind me of my team to the 2007 World Cup,” he told SCORENigeria
“I see some of the boys also going on to play for the Super Eagles soon.”
A defender in his playing days, the coach has left nothing to chance to ensure Nigeria have a youth team they can be proud of again.
After he led the team to win the WAFU B U20 AFCON qualifiers in Niger Republic in May, he has visited many parts of this vast country in search of fresh talent to bolster his latest Flying Eagles.
“Ideye, Elderson and several others were not part of the qualifiers, but they went on to be the stars at the World Cup,” Bosso reminded.
Bosso has assembled his squad for a month in Abuja, where they scored 40 goals and conceded only two in nine test games.
Their eight victories included those against NPFL clubs Wikki Tourists and Lobi Stars.
“The performance of the team and not the results was the important thing for me,” he maintained.
“The team is coming together.”
The Junior Eagles could be boosted by overseas-based professionals where necessary, Bosso informed SCORENigeria
Physical fitness has been one of the big pluses of this team.
Both Nasarawa United, who recorded the only draw with the Flying Eagles, and Lobi Stars were far spent and even resorted to time-wasting tactics late in their matches against the national team.
“I started out in the national team as a physical trainer for Fanny Amun,” Bosso said.
“And even now I handle the physical training of the team.
“I have to make sure the boys are not overloaded or under trained, it’s not as easy as it sounds because you just must get the right balance.”
The expanded U20 AFCON will be hosted by Egypt between February 18 and March 12 with the semifinalists advancing to the FIFA U20 World Cup in May in Indonesia.
“We already know it’s very cold now in Egypt and here in Nigeria it’s hot, so we have to acclimatise as soon as possible,” he said.
“As soon as we meet the deadline for the submission for our final squad in January, we will be good to go.”
Bosso first return to the Flying Eagles was two years ago, when the team failed to qualify for the 2021 U20 AFCON.
Logistical challenges caused the team to land in Benin Republic barely hours to their opening game, which they lost.
So, what is the target in Egypt?
“We first have to reach the semifinal, which will give us the ticket to the World Cup, and then we will see,” a confident Bosso answered.
Like his recently scouted additions, this coach wants to boss it all the way to the World Cup in Indonesia.
