I will make Eagles champions again – Amuneke News

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I will make Eagles champions again – Amuneke

By Daily Sports Nigeria on April 16, 2024

Former Tanzania coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, who also led the Golden Eaglets to win the U-17 World Cup in 2015, talks about his dream of becoming the next Super Eagles coach and what he needs to do to make the three-time champions world-beaters again, in this interview with JOHNNY EDWARD

Can you tell about your coaching journey and the highlights of your career?

Of course, I’ve had experiences coaching El Makasa in Egypt, Khartoum Club in Sudan and with the national U-20 and U-17 teams. The high point of my coaching is leading Tanzania to their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 2019 for the first time in over four decades and leading Nigeria to the U-17 World Cup title in Chile.

What is your football philosophy?

I’m a coach who wants to win and build a good team that the country will be proud of. It’s about trying to maintain possession, playing a high line and pressing. Of course, when you take up that kind of position, you leave a lot of space behind, so you have to manage the transitions well, especially when you lose the ball. Obviously, in the modern game, you can get caught out quickly when you lose possession. For me, there’s no exact formula for winning and you could win a tournament without dominating possession. I like my teams to play high up the pitch and to try to have the ball, even if you sometimes come up against teams that can deny you that possession. The question then is, ‘can you adapt to that situation too?’ In general, you have to try to stick to your preferred style and convince your players to buy into it. That’s the hardest part because, even though you might be convinced, sometimes other players can think differently if they play in another way for their clubs and get results. So, we must build a new mind-set, group mentality and progress that way.

Have you studied the current team?

I was with the team in 2022 where we narrowly missed out on the World Cup in Qatar. I know the players very well and can help play to their strengths with more freedom. We have great talents in the Eagles, it is for them to have that self-belief and confidence that they can bring back the glory days again. After the first game against Equatorial Guinea at the last Africa Cup of Nations, the Eagles switched to a system that made them solid defensively, which got them to the final, but fatigue played a huge role in our defeat in the final. We used the same players so much that it affected the psychology of the team.

Having studied the team, how much do you know about the players?

I know a lot that will help me turn them into champions again but we must be honest with ourselves. It’s a process that we must undergo and make the team great again. It is not everything I have to say here but we all know the change that needs to be made if we are ready to make the team great again.

What were the errors you noticed at the last AFCON?

We just have to allow the past to stay in the past. No doubt, some things could have been done differently when you look at the qualities of the players in the team but the decisions made from my thoughts as an outsider are down to what the coach saw in training and the kind of response he was getting. We won silver at the last AFCON, so now we should be aiming for gold at the next edition and also qualify for the World Cup, which is the most important thing right now.

What would they have done differently against Ivory Coast in the final?

It is just a summary of what I just said. We don’t need to blame who was in charge but I think we should have taken more risks. The Ivoirians had the crowd but we had the talents to win it, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

Football-crazy Nigerians won’t accept silver or bronze, what can you offer us if given the job?

A lot my brother. We just have to believe in the genuine process we will be offering. I know the strengths and weaknesses of these players and we must use them to good advantage. At the last AFCON, we allowed a deadly striker like Victor Osimhen to defend so deep and run too much. That reduced his qualities a lot and he was blamed for not scoring more goals and missing several chances. He’s a striker who moves in different directions a lot and needs players to get through balls to him to be effective and get the goals. We need players to complement him, that’s just it. For example, Simon Adingra didn’t play the first game against Nigeria in the group stage, but he was a menace to our defence in the final. We have players that can do better than what Adingra did to our team in the final that day, but did we play to their strengths? The Ivoirians made him so functional and he provided assists for the goals we conceded. We need our players to be playing to their strengths so that they can be more clinical. We don’t have average players; we have great players that must be played in a system that will make them more functional in a great team.

If you eventually get the Eagles job, what will you do to enhance the team?

Play to the strength of the team and make sure the winning mentality is instilled back in the players.

Do you think the players lack a winning mentality?

I feel they need more of it to be where we want them to be. Our players must play with freedom and purpose to achieve our collective goals. They have it in them but they need to be pushed in the right direction to ensure positive results. The Eagles must be great again and I believe I have the capacity and experience to get the job done, if appointed coach.

What are your coaching credentials and when last did you go for a refresher course?

Refresher course? I’m a qualified coach with all the right certifications for the job. I have been a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group that analyse matches at competitions. We also evaluate statistical data using the latest technologies, so, I’m well informed of the modern day tactics and how well our players can function better against the best in the world.

Source Punch Ng

Posted April 16, 2024