Super Eagles caretaker coach Austin Eguavoen has got off to a fair start by picking a squad good enough to do the business at the AFCON in Cameroon.
He has maintained the core of the squad of former coach Gernot Rohr that qualified Nigeria to the AFCON, while throwing in players like Emmanuel Dennis, Taiwo Awoniyi, Kelechi Nwakali, Sadiq Umar and Olisa Ndah, who will now be fired up to gate crash the first team.
Eguavoen has often been criticised for not being daring in his tactics and team selection, but this squad show he now wishes to be a lot more adventurous.
For the bulk of the team, Cameroon 2021 will be their second AFCON after they made their tournament debut two years ago in Egypt, where they finished third.
The goals and commitment of Victor Osimhen will be crucial to how far the Eagles can fly at this AFCON and that would explain Eguavoen’s insistence on the striker despite the many negative noises from his Italian club Napoli.
Should Osimhen regain his sharpness in front of goal after several weeks by the sidelines on account of his serious injury, the three-time African champions would have to be taken a lot more seriously.
It will also be crucial who Eguavoen selects in his starting XI and how he deploys these players.
FC Porto leftback Zaidu Sanusi has rediscovered his form at the right time, while the new coach must have to take a closer look at his central defence partnership at a time William Ekong has hit a slump and Leon Balogun has been battling injury again.
Chidozie Awaziem is now playing his best football in central defence after making remarkable progress in recent seasons. He must therefore now be in serious consideration for starting XI place.
In midfield, the main poser is whether SD Huesca midfielder Kelechi Nwakali is the creative inspiration the team desperately need.
Eguavoen has openly declared his admiration for the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup MVP.
But will Nwakali now stoop to conquer after suffering from a poor attitude?
What will be the combination to bring out the goals and best of Osimhen?
The coach has several options on the flanks – Samuel Chukwueze, Chidera Ejuke, Moses Simon and Emmanuel Dennis – but they will need to do a lot more to bring the Napoli star into the play.
Good enough the experienced Odion Ighalo will be another option to lead the attack.
But do we need as many as four goalkeepers going to Cameroon or that was because the NPFL just had to be represented because Enyimba shot stopper John Noble’s place could have been better taken up by another creative midfielder like Alhassan Yusuf of Antwerp ir Hammarby exciting youngster Akinkunmi Amoo?
Eguavoen’s appointment was not exactly warmly received and even some of the misguided utterances of the NFF president Amaju Pinnick bordering on the competence of the coach did not improve public confidence.
‘Cerezo’ therefore has a lot to prove to his employers and the ever-demanding Nigerian fans.
But at least he also has a massive incentive to aim for – win the AFCON and keep the top job.
