The Super Eagles now have a new coach, new ways of doing things and hopefully a couple of new players to challenge the status quo as the qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup resumes later this month.
New coach Eric Chelle has already shown he will go about his business a little differently with the infusion of new blood to the national team setup.
This means the old guard of players have a lot to prove to the new boss and so it will no longer be business as usual.
Genk striker Tolu Arokodare leads the new boys to the Super Eagles.
He has already posted his most prolific season by scoring 16 goals six years since he moved to Europe via Latvia.
He is a big centre-forward, who was a direct replacement for Paul Onuachu following to his transfer to Southampton. He is good in the air and also makes the most of his physicality.
Victor Osimhen is the arrowhead of the Super Eagles, but in the event the team play a twin strike force, Arokodare can battle the likes of Onuachu, Victor Boniface and Sadiq Umar for the other striker’s spot.
Igho Ogbu is another fresh call-up who could push for a place in the main squad.
The big central defender featured at the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland and since then he has made a record transfer from Norwegian club Lillestrom to top Czech club Slavia Praha.
He has used his physicality to great effect in the heart of the Slavia defence.
In recent times, the Super Eagles central defence has been manned by William Ekong, Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi as Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem have fallen out of favour.
Injury to the reliable Ajayi has forced the search for worthy central defenders by the national team.
It is a chance for Ogbu, 25, to grab with both hands now.
Chrisantus Uche has made a name for himself on his La Liga debut with Getafe and it is hoped he can bring this vibe to the Super Eagles midfield, so too Turkey-based Anthony Dennis.
HB Academy product Dennis joined Goztepe SK, rose through the ranks to help them gain promotion back to the Turkish Super Lig.
The goal-scoring midfielder, who is widely compared to former Super Eagles star Wilson Oruma, has thus far netted twice in the Turkish top league.
The CHAN Eagles have been rewarded for qualifying for this year’s CHAN after Niger Tornadoes midfielder Papa Daniel, Enugu Rangers defender Ifeanyi Onyebuchi and goalkeeper Kayode Bankole from Remo Stars made the Super Eagles provisional squad.
It is a huge boost for the players from the NPFL leading up to the CHAN in August.
MY MAJOR CONCERN IS THAT, IF TRULY THAT ERIC CHELLE WANT TO SUCCEED WITH SUPER EAGLE & QUALIFY NIGERIA FOR WORLD CUP. HE SHOULD JUST INVITE PLAYERS BASE ON QUALITY, POTENTIAL, FITNESS & PRESENT FORM, MERIT WITHOUT SENTIMENT
HE SHOULD NOT INVITE PLAYERS BASED ON USELESS EXPERIENCE/LEADERSHIP/CAPTAISHIP, MENTORSHIP, AGING, EGO, RECORD OR PAST FORM.
AND WITH ALL THIS YARDSTICKS, THE LIKE OF THIS PLAYERS: IHEANACHO, ONUACHU, AWONIYI, BONIFACE(Boni-yeye), BALOGUN, OMERUO, IZOHO, ARIBO DIDN’T DESERVED TO INVITED FOR CRUCIAL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS.
** ONUACHU HAS FAILED WOEFULLY IN SUPER EAGLE UNDER FOUR DIFFERENT COACHES (ROHR, Equavoen, Paseiro, Finidi) because he cannot adjust to playing style of super eagleIH
** ARIBO IS A SLUGGISH PLAYER, HE CANNOT PLAY AFRICA FOOTBALL.
** BONIFACE HAVE BEEN GIVEN ENOUGH CHANCES TO PROVE HIMSELF AS AN EITHER ALTERNATIVE OR MAIN STRIKER ON THE FIELD OF PLAY, BUT HE FAILED TO EVEN SHOW HIS STUFF (i.e Quality) TALKLESS OF SCORING GOALS.
** IHEANACHO, MUSA AWONIYI, BALOGUN, OMERUO ARE JUST HANGING AROUND JUST IN THE NAME OF EXPERIENCE, LEADERSHIP, CAPTAINSHIP, MENTORSHIP.
### ERIC CHELLE SHOULD GIVE OTHER WELL MATURED, EXPOSED, QUALITY WITH GREAT POTENTIAL PLAYERS CHANCES TO SHOWCASE THEIR STUFF.
@@@@ OLISA-NDAH, AKPOM, DESSERS, AKPOGUMA, GIFT-ORBAN, EJUKE, NWAKALI, ALHASSAN, AKODARE, TELLA, ARE ALL WELL MATURED, EXPOSED, QUALITY WITH GREAT POTENTIAL PLAYERS.
### NIGERIA SHOULD STOP DECEIVING THEMSELVES WITH WORD EXPERIENCE, MENTORSHIP, CAPTAINSHIP ! ! ! ! ! ! !
TO ME, WE DON’T NEED AN OLD SENIOR/EXPERIENCE PLAYERS THAT WILL SERVE AS BROTHERHOOD/MENTORSHIP TO PLAYERS IN THE TEAM.
WE WHAT WE NEED IS AN OLD SENIOR EXPERIENCE PLAYERS THAT CAN BE FIT TO PLAY 90 MINUTES ACTION ON THE FIELD OF PLAY, SHOWS CHARACTER & PROVE A POINT.
*** WE ALWAYS LIKE TO BE DECEIVING OURSELVES IN THIS COUNTRY WITH THE ISSUE OF OLD EXPERIENCE PLAYERS IN THE TEAM.
FOR INSTANCE : I am an experience engineer, but iam not fit, then tell me “what am I going to do on the field?”
IN AFCON 2019, MIKEL, BALOGUN WERE SELECTED AMONG THE PLAYERS TO THE COMPETITION AS AN EXPERIENCE OLD/SENIOR PLAYERS, BUT THEY WERE NOT FIT. AT THE END, BOTH OF THEM WERE FLOPPED WHILE GIVING CHANCE TO PLAY AGAINST MADAGASCAR BY LOOSING 3-0.
OR IS IT AN EXPERIENCE OF MIKEL, BALOGUN THAT MAKE SUPER EAGLE REACH THE FINAL OF AFCON 2023.
#### IHEANACHO, SADIQ, AWONIYI, BALOGUN, OMERUO, ONUACHU SHOULD BE DROP OUT OF THE TEAM & GIVE CHANCES FOR BETTER PERFORMING PLAYERS AT THE MOMENT LIKE: AKPOM, DESSERS, ORBAN, OSHO, AKPOGUMA, OLISA-NDAH, EJUKE.
** THERE MUST BE A REWARD OF INVITATION FOR PLAYERS THAT ARE PERFORMING CREDIBLY WELL AT THE MOMENT.
WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT FIT, LET STOP DECEIVING OURSELVES THAT “EXPERIENCE COUNT” This is an EUROPEAN/AMERICAN language. It doesn’t work in Africa (most especially in Nigeria).
IF EXPERIENCE COUNT, DOES TROOST-EKONG, OSIMHEN BE PLAY AHEAD OF OMERUO, ONUACHU.
OR IZOHO, OMERUO, ONUACHU ARE THEY NOT A SENIOR PLAYERS AHEAD OF NWABALI, TROOST-EKONG, OSIMHEN. WHY THEIR EXPERIENCE DIDN’T COUNT ON THE FIELD OF PLAY AHEAD OF YOUNGER PLAYERS.
***** OR WHEN OBJ, PMB became President two or three times again, did their experience count for the nation???? INSTEAD, it is another EIGHT YEARS OF HECTIC SUFFERNESS.
THEY LOOTED , DISTABLISED NIGERIA ECONOMY & TURNED NIGERIA UPSIDE DOWN, LEADING TO EVERLASTING SUFFERNESS TILL WHAT NIGERIA ARE EXPERIENCING NOW (( to the extent that EMILOKAN TURN TO EBI LOKAN))
EVEN IN LAST WORLD CUP IN 2023 IN QATAR, WHEN BENZEMA & AGUERO WERE NOT FIT, THEY WERE DROPPED OUT OF THE TEAM OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. AND BOTH COUNTRIES DID CREDIBLY WELL WITHOUT THEM. BUT IF IT IS NIGERIA, THEY WILL TAKE THEM ALONG TO THE COMPETITION AND SAY BENZEMA WILL BE GIVING ADVICE TO MBAPPE, OR AGUERO WILL BE MENTORING LAUTARO MARTINEZ, MARTINELLI.
My concern is that they have onlyb4vdays to train. Making wholesale change to the team with new players without 0lating a friendly can turn around a bite us. This has caused us 2 world cup qualifications in the past