While the Super Eagles seem to have found their rhythm under the Nigerian ‘Pep Guardiola,’ Janusz Michallik, a former United States star, has insisted that even the legendary Spanish gaffer himself might not achieve anything notable with the national team if he were in charge.
Augustine Eguavoen, who previously likened his style of play with that of Guardiola’s, was recently appointed as interim coach of the Nigerian national team.
In his two games in charge, the 59-year-old gaffer guided the team to a 3-0 victory and a goalless draw in the AFCON qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda, respectively.
This came after the Super Eagles had endured a difficult spell, during which former boss Finidi George was at the helm, before resigning less than six weeks into the job.
While Finidi recently opened up on his struggles with the team, stating two factors that led to his failure in charge, ex-USA international, Michallik, has also buttressed the former Super Eagles no. 7’s points.
Michallik speaks on Nigeria national team’s problem
In an interview with Brila FM, the ex-defender reflected on the Nigerian national team’s underwhelming performances and the mismanagements by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
”Nigeria’s problem is Nigeria. And it never changes,” he said.
“The level of talent and quality is clear for all to see. Since 1994, the country has produced wonderful players. Imagine if most nations had access to this kind of talent in the organization.”
On how Guardiola can’t help Nigeria
The issue of selecting a foreign or native coach has long plagued Nigerian football.
However, Michallik, maintains that the difficulties go far beyond the selection of a coach, also asserting that it would remain the same even if Manchester City manager Guardiola was appointed.
“Nigeria FA needs to figure out what they want. It’s always the same conversation: should we have a local coach? Then a foreign coach comes in, and it goes over and over again. Find the right coach and the right manager, but that’s not going to be enough.”
He added, “I have a feeling that even if Pep Guardiola comes, who knows if he is going to achieve anything. You’ve got to have an organization around him; that’s how to help him. Everything should go towards that.”
The likelihood for Nigeria to miss out on another World Cup has left Michallik astonished.
“For Nigeria to be where they are now, potentially missing the World Cup—it’s unthinkable,” he said, singling out the NFF’s lack of accountability as a major cause.
Despite Nigeria boasting an abundance of talent, the former Atlanta defender believes the NFF has created an environment that is detrimental to success.
“The players are always ready. What’s missing is strong leadership at the top, supported by the federation,” Michallik added.
“When I say support, I understand that Nigeria won’t have the resources for some of the biggest coaches, but there are coaches out there who really want that job, who want to work with players like this.”
He concluded by stating the need for a well organised structure, stating,
“Nigeria has the talent, but everything surrounding it is not a great environment to have success, and to me, that’s the simplest thing to fix. The easiest thing to fix is to be organized and to create an environment for a good coach because the talent is already there.”
A string of unsatisfactory performances in the World Cup qualifications has increased the desire for change in Nigerian football.
The Super Eagles now face the possibility of missing the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
