Eguavoen was appointed as the interim manager of the Nigerian National football team, the Super Eagles, following the sacking of the former coach Gernot Rohr in December 2021. These events unfolded on the eve of the AFCON 2021, which were scheduled to take place between 9th January and 6th February 2022. Despite stepping up at the last minute, the coach alongside his crew did an excellent job when they took the Super eagles through the group stage to the Round of 16 where the team was eliminated. Only real talent and dedication could have taken the team that far, and we can give credit to the boss of the squad. The AFCON 2021 season has been graced by spectacular performance which has placed the three-time tournament champion at the third position of African FIFA rankings. Nigerian football fans have also enjoyed watching their national team win in all but one of their matches.
After getting eliminated from the AFCON 2021, which concluded on Sunday 6th Feb with a match between Egypt and Senegal, The Super Eagles started preparing for the two-legged matches against Ghana during the World Cup Qualifiers set for 23rd and 29th March. Â This gives football fans in Nigeria and punters a chance to watch and support their favorite team. The last match against Tunisia was a disappointment that might have caused thousands of fans to lose their bets on the Super Eagles. The good news is that punters have a chance to try again by trying out their luck on BettingTop10 Nigeria, where they can find top-rated betting sites, and tips on how to select the best site to bet with. The fun does not have to end with a tournament. You can always bet on various events while waiting for the World Cup Qualifiers.
Handing over a national team to a new coach only a few weeks before the tournament is a mistake the Nigerian Football Federation hopes to avoid. After the promising performance under Eguavoen in AFCON, they feel more confident to leave the team in his hands. The original plan was to have Eguavoen manage the Super Eagles during the AFCON tournament, after which Jose Peseiro would take over as the official coach. The NFF has, however, confirmed that Eguavoen will continue to manage the squad alongside Emmanuel Amuaneke as an assistant coach.
Augustin Eguavoen made a record for himself during the recently concluded AFCON 2021 after Super Eagles won a total of three group stage matches, leading Group D with 9 points. His performance in the AFCON specifically made him a better choice, especially after making some changes that helped the Super Eagles defeat Sudan and Egypt. Some of the players he brought into the game include; Alex Iwobi, Sadiq Umar, Jamilu Collins, Nwakali, Semi Ajayi, Tyrone Ebuehi, and Chidera Ejuke. The coach believed that the eight would make a record, which they did. In fact, Eguavoen regretted leaving Chidera out of the match against Tunisia, which ousted them from the tournament.
Professionally, Eguavoen has what it takes to lead Nigeria’s national squad into victory in the coming matches. The AFCON 2021 was not his first time as he has coached the Super Eagles during the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team won a bronze medal. NFF retained him as the interim adviser and also gave him a wonderful technical crew which includes; the former Nigerian World Cup star-Amuneke Emmanuel as the assistant coach, Emmanuel is set to become the Chief Coach of the team. Yusuf Salisu was appointed as the 2nd asst. Coach, Yobo Joseph is the third assistant, and Agu Aloysius will remain the Trainer for the team’s goalkeepers.
Eguavoen won the Best Coach Award in the 33rd AFCON tournament, which increased his chances of securing a more permanent position in the management of the Super Eagles squad. He has a great portfolio as a manager for several teams including; Sharks FC, Nigeria U17, Black Leopards, APS Zakynthos, Bendel Ins, and Silema Wander. Eguavoen has managed to give the Super Eagles a touch that his predecessor Rohr failed to accomplish. During Rohr’s reign, the squad failed to defeat CAR in the World Cup Qualifies, wasted their 4 goals against Sierra Leone during the AFCON qualifiers in November 2021, and failed to develop a unique strategy that the Super Eagles could get identified with. In just 3 matches, Eguavoen had developed a strategy that saw the Super Eagles dominate the matches against Egypt, Burkina Faso, and Sudan. Even though the lack of a contingency strategy might have caused the team to lose to Tunisia, we can only imagine how much the new interim coach can achieve if given a long contract.
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