Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have been told the key quality they should look out for as they step up their search for a new coach for the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nigeria successfully prosecuted the qualifiers for the AFCON with the technical director of the NFF Austine Eguavoen in interim capacity as head coach for all of the games. He is expected to return to his role before the team regroup for the world cup qualifiers in March.
The NFF plan to hire a foreign coach who will guide the team through the world cup qualifiers, where they are currently 5th in the 6 team groups. Sitting four points behind their next opponent Rwanda who are presently leading the group on goal difference after picking same number (7) of points with South Africa and Benin Republic who are placed second and third respectively.
A senior player in the team has given his opinion on the kind of coach that the football house should look out for, citing his knowledge about the team and its players as key to getting a coach with a certain level of control.
” We (Super Eagles) don’t really need a tactician as head coach because international games are every different. You don’t have enough time to practice tactics expect in tournaments where the players stay longer”, he said on the condition of anonymity.
” I was at the last AFCON and what I can say is that discipline is more important than tactics in the Super Eagles. Jose Peseiro was feared by all because of the bold decision he took to leave the captain William Troost-Ekong out of the team before the tournament.
” That was a huge message to everyone and we all saw how Ekong responded. Tactics are good but with the Super Eagles you need a disciplinarian who can organize things off the pitch because we have so many players who see themselves as untouchable”, he concluded.