Ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel sings the praise of Super Eagles’ caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen, comparing him to Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti in handling people.
Eguavoen, who led Nigeria to a 3-0 victory against Benin and a goalless draw against Rwanda in recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, has drawn praise for the effectiveness of his way of interacting with his players.
A Strong Connection from U17 Days
Mikel has worked with Eguavoen during the time when he was Nigeria’s U17 team coach and, as such, can testify of how the coach operates.
Despite the initial disadvantage that Mikel encountered in the Eaglets, his talent was only discovered after the NFF’s former technical director, Bitrus Bewarang, pushed for his inclusion.
Eguavoen later gave Mikel his first senior invite to the Super Eagles in 2005, which strengthened their bond.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel emphasised Eguavoen’s key strength: ‘He is so much like Carlo Ancelotti; no jokes about that; he understands how to manage people.’ He is very good at communicating with players. He jokes with players really well; you know, he even lays his arm around your shoulders.
In a previous report from Sportsbuddy, Augustine Eguavoen has cleared his position as Super Eagles head coach.
HERE’S THE TRUTH! Augustine Eguavoen responds to rumours of stepping down as Eagles head coach
The Case for Eguavoen’s Permanent Appointment
Mikel also pointed out that Eguavoen had little time with the players in the Super Eagles and stressed that he helped them relax on the field.
It is often said that you cannot teach them so much in a short span of time. It’s not about the goal-scoring; it’s about the management,” Mikel responded while arguing that this was evident in both the Benin and Rwanda games.
In summarising, Mikel called on the Nigerian Football authorities to take up Eguavoen as the substantive coach of the Super Eagles, stating that the team under the direction of Eguavoen acted like the spirit of the new year, positive and posting good performances.
