By Daily Sports on April 29, 2019

Golden Eagles against all odds were finally booted out by Angolans in a third-place game played last Saturday. It further confirmed the set of players that went for the African Championship. The only achievement they recorded was the qualification ticket to the World cup in Brazil later in the year.

While it may not be productive to dwell on the immediate and remote causes of the team’s failure in the Tanzania African leg, however, this page believes that it all boils down to the quality of boys taken to the summit and the consequent technical and tactical backlash on the entire square. The lads played, unlike the Golden Eaglets, we have come to know over these years. It will not be an overstatement to say that this set of team and its performance leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Since it is obvious that the team failed woefully in her assignment in Tanzania, we must advance that the side should go straight back to the drawing board if Nigeria must aggregate and re-enact the kind of team that has won the tournament over the years.

Yes, the Amaju Pinnick-led management as usual provided the necessary backing for the team and technical crew suggesting it had all it takes to do better in the just concluded tournament but alas the problem of preparations by the coach and his crew was the undoing. He must reorganise the team and ensure the boys are mobile and also have a sense of urgency embedded in them, as football has long gone past how the team played during the African show which left the Nigerian badly bruised and battered by her opponents.

Many said Guinea’s ouster of the former World Champion was based on luck because the Eaglets lost through penalty shootout but the cat was let of the bag during the third place game against highly mobile and technical Angolan squad that outplayed their Nigerian counterparts in all departments and got the winning goal when it mattered most. However, as the fourth best side in the tournament, it meant that the technical crew must get down to work and even invite new legs that would beef up adequately those glaring weak areas noticed during the recently concluded champ. The home truth is that if we truly think or hope of not being disgraced globally, real homework must be done to avert the imminent fall.  Let me say that feigning that all is well with the present Golden Eaglets team is tantamount to living in fool’s paradise. We saw how the team played during the African show. The truth is that the side needs a thorough and total overhaul. It never played like the Golden Eaglets team we used to know- the doggedness, et al.

Whoever is its coach must work harder or excuse himself. Nigeria must not fail in Brazil. Eaglets ranks high in this competition and so Nigeria must ensure she would not present a lame duck team. Nigeria has a great pedigree in this very tournament. Therefore practical preparations remain the key. No half measures and everything must be put in place to get this Eaglets team to winning ways as nothing other than such focus would be good enough. Eaglets as a team has paid its dues and must not be rubbished by these not too qualified and oftentimes bribe taking coaches parading themselves as best we can get. Golden Eaglets must rise up again. The consolation is the ticket to the World Cup. In as much as we rejoice with the side for securing the World Cup tick later in the year, the need for depth job in all departments remains uppermost.

While we welcome the boys for the effort they made, it goes without saying that the coach must be told in clearer teams to sit up. But come to think of it, he has no business in the team again if Nigeria is a country where sanity holds water or on the other hand where individuals have self-respect for themselves, otherwise that head coach of the team would have instantly turned down the offer to lead the team after he had hitherto failed in yet other national assignments but pronto he accepted and this is where it has thrown the country- the ugly cesspool of now parading weak and uncoordinated Eaglets team ever.

Methinks that it is still not late for him to do the needful, throw in the towel as it is obvious he has lost track, capacity and fresh ideas to drive the always very resourceful team and keep our eyes wide open as we keenly watch the progress of this team before the World Cup. Golden Eaglets side must not be left solely in the hands of this man who obviously has nothing more to add in our football as his steady decline has shown over these years. As we put our fingers crossed and keep a tab on the goings on around this squad, join us in our ever-active social media portals as we discuss this team on focus. Meanwhile, keep shooting hard till next week!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 29, 2019

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