Interrim coach Augustine Eguavoen has been advised to stop calling players who perform excellently for their respective clubs but fail to impress in the Super Eagles jersey, and Leverkusen attacker Victor Boniface falls into this category.
Nigeria lost 2-1 in their final African Cup of Nations qualifier clash against Rwanda. This performance drew criticism from fans, with attacker Boniface being at the centre of the backlash for an underwhelming display.
Boniface’s struggle with the Super Eagles
The Leverkusen star, who has now gone 11 games without a goal for the Nigerian national team, is, however, a different player for his Gemran side.
Boniface scored 21 goals in 34 games for Leverkusen last season and has carried on with that form, scoring eight times in 15 appearances in this current campaign.
Eguavoen, in his Nigeria vs. Rwanda post-match presser, expressed concern about the 23-year-old striker’s form with the national team, stating he has tried to create the right atmosphere to see the striker replicate his club performances at the national level.
Eguavoen told to exclude under performing players from next call-up
Duke Udi, an ex-Super Eagles star, has highlighted that European football differs from African football, addressing the issue of certain players underperforming for the national team despite their blistering form at club level.
The former Enyimba player suggested that such individuals should not be included in the Super Eagles squad to create opportunities for others who deserve a chance.
“There are some players in the Super Eagles squad now that Eguavoen will know that they are only good at club side; they are not good for the national team. About five players now, Udi told Brila
”This also happened with Westerhof, but he had the brains to notice and stop calling up those players. Some players can be flashy and doing well in Europe, but the African terrain is a different terrain. African football is different from European football.
”Some players succeed in both Africa and Europe, and Osimhen is one of them. He can adjust to any environment, but some players can not.
”So what do you do as a coach? You try other players, Nigeria has players around the world who are doing well, give them chance!
”Football and coaching is about risk. Once you start fearing the unknown, you can’t be a good coach.”
The Super Eagles’ next competitive match is a World Cup qualifier clash against Rwanda next year, a must-win match for Nigeria, given their precarious position on the group table.
Eguavoen’s side are currently fifth on the group table, with three points from four games, and are four points behind Amavubi, who lead the standings. A victory is crucial to keeping their qualification hopes alive.
