Super Eagles’ interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen has thrown the lid off his almost flawless tactical approach that helped him lead the squad to a 3-0 trouncing of Benin Republic on Saturday.
Sports247.ng reports that the Eagles put up a truly stimulating show at Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, and their efforts brought a broad smile back on the faces of their victory-starved fans.
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However, rather than boast about his personal acumen in marshalling a return to winning ways against the same side that defeated Nigeria 2-1 on June 10, ‘Egu’ said Saturday’s victory was gained mostly due to a winning mentality that his players developed heading into the match.
“It’s all about the psychology of what you want to achieve,” said the ex-international-turned-gaffer at the post-match briefing that had sports247.ng in attendance.
He added: “Collectively, you should know as a group what you want and where you want to be; you then apply that mindset.
“When much is expected from us by Nigerians, that’s when the players have to respond. They have faced a backlash, and they know what is at stake.”
The soft-spoken tactician, however, admitted that Nigeria is blessed with a vast array of top-quality players, who he reckoned can fit into any formation the coach lines them out in and they will make the best of it.
Eguavoen expatiated, saying: “They know they have the quality and calibre that can make a difference against any team.
“It’s about the mindset. How you use your potentials, how you check out your opponents, use the information, and the players go out and do the job.”
The Eagles’ former defender and captain, who is now in his fourth tenure as coach of the side, concluded with references to his well-informed second-half substitutions in attack and defence.
He mentioned in particular the move that helped to stabilise the squad’s defence line, as South Africa-based Olisa Ndah went on in place of Calvin Bassey.
“Whoever comes in from the bench has an understanding with every other person. We’ve been training together, and they know one another.
“Ndah is not new to the team. He has been with us since when we played in Cameroon.
“From the beginning of the second half, I knew we needed to bite, but we should not rush into making changes.
“At some point, we had to make the substitutions, and we followed the gameplan.
“It’s a game of 90 minutes and a stretch. So, we had to use every opportunity that we had,” Eguavoen concluded.
He will now look for a second victory on the bounce and another clean sheet, as the Eagles play away to Rwanda in Kigali on Tuesday for their second match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
