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Eagles Must Revert to Traditional Style of Football – Akwuegbu

Published

11 months ago

Feb 16, 2024.

Eko Hot Blog reports that in an interview with JOHNNY EDWARD, Former Super Eagles striker, Benedict Akwuegbu, shared insights into Nigeria’s loss in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, discussed the team’s challenges, and emphasized the need to return to the traditional style of football.

Q: How did you feel when Nigeria lost the 2023 AFCON final to Ivory Coast?

Akwuegbu: I felt bad because it was not the result we were expecting after going one goal up. It reminds me of how the Eagles lost the AFCON final at home to Cameroon in 2000. It was very painful. After a decent first half, we sat back too deep defending and allowed the Ivorians to come at us and they got the equaliser and went on to seal the win with another goal.

Q: What went wrong in the final?

Akwuegbu: We were not so strong in midfield, which was a big problem for the team at the tournament. We didn’t keep the ball well enough and we played with a lone striker, Victor Osimhen. In a final like that, Osimhen needed a support striker to get the best out of him to wreak more havoc, so that when the ball gets forward they can keep it and try to create something and score. The midfielders were far from the forwards, which gave room to the Ivorians to dictate the pace of the game and create scoring chances. We didn’t have a creative midfielder that could have dictated the pace and tempo of the game, unlike the Ivorians who had players holding onto possession of the ball. We have a lot of work to do going forward. Some of us saw this coming from the quarter-finals against Angola and in the semi-finals against South Africa. The South Africans played better than us but we won. We were lucky in some of the games we played. We struggled against Angola and it was obvious. A good team should be winning by two to three goals, that shows the difference. We also need more strikers as we only have Osimhen. I was expecting to see Kelechi Iheanacho start the final game because he has the quality to create chances and score goals as well. But from the look of things we didn’t have another plan other than what we deployed from the second game. You could see that when he (Iheanacho) came on late in the second half, he showed flashes and tried to create chances and score, which we barely did before his introduction. The likes of Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon were well-studied and marked out but we could not counter their strategy. We need players like Gift Orban to pair Osimhen, who carried too much pressure at this tournament and this should not have happened. The system we adopted at this tournament was responsible for our lack of goals. We were too predictable. We have to go back to our traditional style of attacking football, which worked for us. The Eagles that played at the AFCON were not the team I expected to see.

Q: How do you view the Ivorians’ triumph?

Akwuegbu: That’s football, it happens very well in football. The Ivorians fought and deserved to win. Against Nigeria, they put in all they had to win the game in the final, unlike when we both met in the group stage, which they lost. The Ivorians fought like lions in the final, which our boys didn’t do. Despite trailing in the final they kept pushing until they got the equaliser and the winner..

Q: Was the sacking of coach Jean-Louis Gasset a turning point for Ivory Coast?

Akwuegbu: I believe so. You see, football is business, it is only in Nigeria that we don’t see it as such. The Ivorians knew it and took drastic steps. If a coach is not doing well, you sack him and bring somebody else. In the English Premier League, the Bundesliga and Serie A, that’s how it’s done.

Q: Reflecting on your playing days, what was your most memorable moment as a footballer?

Akwuegbu: My first cap for the Eagles against Tunisia in 2000. It was a memorable feat for me. Against so many odds, I was selected to represent Nigeria at the AFCON hosted by us, although it was painful we lost.

Q: You were nicknamed the ‘Austrian Bomber’ during your playing days. What gave birth to this name?

Akwuegbu: I was the highest goal scorer in the league, the best foreign player in Austria. I scored fantastic goals against big clubs in the Champions League.

Q: Were you a victim of racism as a coach and as a player?

Akwuegbu: Not really, but sometimes fans make racist chants, shouting and calling names. It doesn’t bother me.

Q: What are you into lately?

Akwuegbu: I’m studying football management at Anglia Ruskin University in London. I’m into football coaching, having earned my coaching badges. I was the first black football manager in Austria and would like to replicate my coaching success in Nigeria.

Q: Do you have any regrets playing for Nigeria?

Akwuegbu: I enjoyed playing for Nigeria and never regretted it. I served this country for 19 years, made over 40 appearances for the Eagles, played at the World Cup and Nations Cup, and won silver and bronze medals.

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