International Football
Can Eguavoen and Amuneke deliver the World Cup ticket? 
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are at the verge of another World Cup appearance. Should the Eagles prevail tomorrow, Nigeria will feature in her seventh World Cup in Qatar.
Unlike in the previous two qualifiers for 2014 and 2018, it has been anything but a smooth ride for the Super Eagles. In the course of the 2022 qualifiers, the Super Eagles, on field, lost their admirable record of 36 unbeaten streak at the World Cup qualifying series.
Before the shocking 0-1 loss to Central African Republic in Lagos last October, the last time the Nigerian side lost a World Cup qualifying game was way back in 20 June 2004 against Angola in Luanda.
They went 38 matches without a loss, even though the result of their last qualifiers against Algeria, which ended 1-1, was annulled owing to Nigeria’s fielding of an ineligible Shehu Abdulahi.
The qualifying series for 2022 took a dramatic twist after the Eagles lost 0-1 to unrated Central African Republic in what incidentally, was the first ever international meeting between both countries.
That was the beginning of the end for the unduly elongated coaching tenure of Gernot Rohr. Although his team managed to reverse the score-line in the return leg at the adopted home ground of Central African Republic in Douala, Cameroon, it was clear that Rohr was living on borrowed time.
The last group match, a home duel with Cape Verde was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Needing to just avoid a loss, Rohr’s team laboured throughout the game, despite getting a dream opening, scoring in the very first minute of the match.
The mantle has now fallen on former international, Austin Eguavoen, who incidentally as the coach of the national team, lost his role to a German, Berti Vogts in 2007.
Taking over from another German, Rohr, Eguavoen, seems to have had his ‘vengeance’. But what should we expect?
Austin Eguavoen is assisted by fellow ex-international, Emmanuel Amuneke as they prepare the Super Eagles for the decisive encounter with Ghana Black Stars.
The first match comes up in Kumasi on Friday. This will be Nigeria’s 111st World Cup qualifying match. Coincidentally, it was against Ghana that Nigeria debuted in the World Cup qualifying series when they met in Accra on 28 August 1960.
At the time, Nigeria lost 4-1. But time has changed and Nigeria Super Eagles have since taken the commanding role when it comes to World Cup qualification.
As at the end of the group stage of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, no African side has racked up as many qualifying victories as Nigeria, whose overall record of 62 wins in 110 games equates to a win rate of 56.4%.
This record is the benchmark for Eguavoen and Amuneke as the Eagles target the ultimate goal of making it to Qatar 2022.
This will be Eguavoen’s second attempt at qualifying the Super Eagles for the World Cup. At the closing stages for the Germany 2006 qualification, he was drafted to take over from Christian Chukwu.
He achieved some good results, but they were not enough to steer the team to Germany. When he took over from Chukwu in 2005, though a defender in his playing days, he showed he had an attacking philosophy.
The Super Eagles under his watch scored 10 goals in two matches and became the only coach of Nigeria to have led a team to beat Algeria at home.
Such offensive inclination had seen his side becoming the only one with a 100 per cent outing at the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations 2021. Playing against Ghana is not a strange assignment for him considering that his team had beaten Ghana before at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Port Said, Egypt.
With good attacking option as well as solid defensive strategy, Eguavoen’s side should be able to overcome Ghana and qualify for the World Cup, a feat that will make him and Amuneke, the third set of Nigerians to achieve World Cup qualification feat after those of Amodu Shaibu and Keshi combination in 2002 and Keshi in 2014.
The decisive match will air on SuperSport on DStv Premier League channel 203 and GOtv channel 38. Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
-ThisDay
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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