Peseiro's 22-month tenure as head coach was continuously a subject of scrutiny and evaluation which ensured a lack of trust from many Nigerians.
In
But Peseiro's 22-month tenure as head coach has continuously been a subject of scrutiny and evaluation. Initially hired with high expectations due to his connections to
Fast forward to
Before the appointment or selection of the next Super Eagles coach, it is the right time for the NFF and Nigerian football fans to critically analyse Peseiro's 22-month tenure. Was there actual progress made? Did he uncover new, exceptional talent? Is there a clear strategy in place?
Let's assess the most recent 2023
Despite the team's largely underwhelming performance, certain players rose to the occasion, suggesting a positive for Peseiro's technical and scouting team. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali emerged as a reliable replacement for error-prone
It is pertinent to compare this team to the ones that won
Peseiro's numbers
Peseiro's 22-month stint witnessed 23 matches. There were eight losses (36%); four draws (18%), and 11 wins (47%). His team scored 39 goals (16 against
His was a legacy of inconsistencies. While he led the team to a respectable
A string of underwhelming friendly match results, including a heavy defeat to
Tactics
Ijeh questioned the team's balance and Peseiro's tactics. "The coach has to take responsibility for these poor results. There is nothing to add. I think he's not getting the best out of the team. The squad is not even balanced to start with. The midfielders are not creative enough, and that's why the strikers are not scoring goals. Football is a game of chances, and if you don't create, you don't score." Ijeh said in an interview with sports radio Brila FM.
Peseiro's limitations as a manager were exacerbated by the
"The tactics adopted unchangingly by the Nigerian team was simple, elementary but effective until the final match," Odegbami remarked. "He did not have a second strategy. It was the same tactics that we learnt 45 years ago, in 1979, during the 3 months training of the Green Eagles in
Odegbami, who was an outstanding part of the team that won the first
That assertion might not be true even though it has to be said that Peseiro's hand was forced by injuries to some of his key players. The new players that broke through were Nwabali, which was a no-brainer, and
Odegbami continued, "In the midfield, the Super Eagles did not have a single truly outstanding player," he observed. "At the final match, the team was dismantled by Peseiro's lack of tactical depth."
"Jose Peseiro seemed contented with achieving his personal goal of a semi-final place in
The future must begin now
Peseiro was given a target by the NFF, which he overshot. The NFF failed to adequately support the Portuguese in delivering the very optimum he could have, whether by design or by economic constraints. The hard answers are that the Eagles only showed marginal improvement under Peseiro and the right decision would be to move on to whom?
Looking ahead, the NFF faces the challenge of finding a suitable replacement for Peseiro. There's an ongoing debate about whether a Nigerian coach should lead the team, but the priority should be finding the best candidate regardless of nationality.
The NFF has to take the bull by the horns and be proactive in its search. Where are we as a footballing nation? What do we lack? What are our strong points?
We don't have much time to answer these questions and to get cracking. Peseiro may be gone but the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign looms. In June the Eagles will host the Bafana Bafana of
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