3 months ago
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Former Super Eagles forward, Osaze Odemwingie, has revealed that he didn’t enjoy watching the national team play at the 2023 Africa Cup of National in Ivory Coast.
Osaze Odemwingie, who made 65 appearances for the Super Eagles between 2002 and 2014 in which he scored 11 goals, said he wasn’t happy with the team’s defensive style of football during the last AFCON.
Recall that at the 2023 AFCON, which took place from January 13 to February 11, 2024, the Super Eagles adopted mostly defensive style of football even against teams they were rated higher than.
Despite their negative style, they were able to reach the final of the tournament, where they lost 2-1 to the hosts, Ivory Coast.
“We have the players and materials needed. I didn’t enjoy watching our team play in the last Nations Cup because we didn’t perform like our usual selves,” Osaze Odemwingie told Brila FM,
“However, we need to play defensively against top teams like Germany, Argentina and Brazil but be more ambitious in the African Cup. If we consider that while playing our remaining games, and from our recent history, we can compete with any team on their home soil with a full stadium, we need to know in the back of our minds that we have to win these away games.”
Currently, the Super Eagles are in their worst state as they are without a head coach and sitting 5th out of 6 teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
They have recorded three draws and one defeat so far in the qualification series, which means that they are condemned to win their remaining games in the campaign to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
“Hopefully, there will be no drama in the team, and we pray for peace and harmony so we can get the job done for the collective good,” Osaze Odemwingie said.
“Nigeria needs to know we are a big team in Africa; we shouldn’t play like smaller teams. We need to attack in numbers and trust our defenders and goalkeeper. We must be ourselves and recapture what’s missing in our football today.”
English (US) ·