November 26, (THEWILL) – As Nigeria seeks to qualify for the North American FIFA World Cup to be hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, doubts linger over manager Jose Peseiro’s ability to lead the Super Eagles to global glory.
After reaching a verbal agreement to become Nigeria’s coach in December 2021, Peseiro came with a track record that included leading teams like FC Porto, Al Hilal, Braga and national squads like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela during an illustrious 30-year managerial career. However, recent results have sparked doubts over his capacity to maximise a talented Nigerian squad brimming with elite players plying their trade across Europe’s top leagues.
A period of uncertainty, where Austin Eguaveon was in charge of the Super Eagles for the Africa Cup of Nations, with Peseiro as an observer, the Portuguese was finally appointed head coach in May 2022. His performance since then till now has seen confidence in the Super Eagles plummet to an all-time low, especially based on poor performances in recent games.
Peseiro’s contract will last till February 2024 when the AFCON ends, and, barring rumours of moves to Zamalek of Egypt, he is committed to seeing it through. However, his team selection, tactics, and excuses for poor results are being questioned. A contending issue is his insistence on possession-based football, which has not worked well against African opponents and has failed to yield results beyond the continent.
From the onset, the tactical foundation of his squad selection has engineered a team that lacks consistency and goals, which struggles defensively without key leaders. Squad is imbalanced upfront. Statistics from recent matches have shown only one win in six games when Victor Osimhen did not play and this was against African teams.
There have been calls for Peseiro to change things up with player selection, tactics and be willing to drop underperforming players, especially the goalkeeper Francis Uzoho. It is pertinent too for the NFF to inspire confidence and change the negative atmosphere around the team.
With less than 50 days to AFCON, Peseiro and NFF need a “big statement” and “hard reset” to evoke belief in the Super Eagles for 202. However, unconvincing displays have set alarm bells ringing, especially with attention turned towards the 2026 World Cup under a new qualifying cycle.
Peseiro’s honeymoon period, from the renewal of his contract, is well and truly over, and the lacklustre performances against lesser African opponents is questionable for his ability to deliver results. Their Group B qualifying campaign kicked off in June 2022 with a home game against Lesotho. Despite naming attacking talents like Victor Boniface, Taiwo Awoniyi, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen, Nigeria failed to capitalise, held to a morale-sapping 1-1 draw. It was an alarming echo of previous games where superiority in chances created failed to translate into goals due to poor finishing and tactical issues.
If Lesotho represented a disappointing start, worse was to follow when Nigeria went to play Zimbabwe, a few days later. In a carbon copy of previous struggles, the Super Eagles monopolised both possession and chances, but they were stunned by a 26th minute Walter Musona opener for the visitors. Only a second-half Iheanacho equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw, but the inquest quickly turned on Peseiro. After just two games, their World Cup qualifying campaign risked unravelling if results did not improve quickly.
With two points from their opening games, Nigeria was salvaged by Rwanda’s defeat of South Africa in a stunning 2-0 result. The upset has positioned Nigeria favourably ahead of their next qualifier against South Africa in June 2024. A win would boost the three-time African champions Super Eagles, ahead of the visiting Bafana Bafana.
Beyond wasting chances, Peseiro has also come under fire for Nigeria’s vulnerability from set pieces. Much of the goals conceded under his watch have stemmed from dead ball situations. The manager is primarily responsible for failing to drill basic organisational discipline into his backline at defensive set-pieces. The draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe have reinforced these flaws. For all Nigeria’s attacking weaponry, Peseiro has failed to erect solid defensive foundations to balance the scales during games of fine margins.
Aside from strategic concerns, Peseiro has also elicited criticism for perplexing squad selection policies. Also, bringing in new players from abroad for each international break is not a sustainable strategy. This last time, Nathan Tella, was invited for his debut international cap to continue Peseiro’s tradition of naming new players to his squad selection.
As pressure mounts, Peseiro faces calls to rejig his tactical system to harness Nigeria’s attacking potential. There is a sense he has stifled their thriving creative talents like Boniface, Ademola, Iwobi, Chukwueze and Simon with conservative tactics. Providing them attacking freedom via a shape change could hold the key to reversing their scoring struggles.
With their latest matches ending in stalemates, Nigeria find themselves third in their World Cup qualifying group with a paltry two points. More dropped points could leave their qualification hopes hanging by a mere thread.
With the next AFCON fixtures upcoming in January and more World Cup qualifiers in June, Peseiro faces intense scrutiny to justify his retention. Failure to secure wins against Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast could make his position untenable. For now, he retains public backing from NFF due to a scarcity of funds.
Still, recent comments by the Federation board member Nse Essien regarding the NFF’s inability to sack the underperforming Peseiro due to financial constraints are unacceptable. As the governing body charged with oversight of the national team, the NFF has a responsibility to make decisions in the best interests of Nigerian football. They cannot hide behind monetary limitations to explain their failure to take action against a struggling manager.
While problematic salary payment delays by the Sports Ministry have created difficulties, this does not absolve the NFF of its duty to take action when the team is underperforming. If finances were an issue, appropriate termination clauses should have been built into Peseiro’s recently extended contract. To make excuses after the fact demonstrates poor planning and accountability by the NFF. As custodians of Nigerian football, the NFF must be able to make tough decisions regardless of financial circumstances.
The NFF’s excuses over the Peseiro situation show a dereliction of duty and lack of leadership when it matters most. Furthermore, more poor performances could see his time in charge abruptly cut short.
Peseiro deserves plaudits for integrating fresh faces like Calvin Bassey, Lookman, Boniface, Tella into the Super Eagles fold. He has also implemented a passing philosophy focused on dominating possession and chances. However, those principles have yet to manifest into results, with his record of six wins in 17 games underwhelming for a coach of his pedigree and Nigeria’s talent pool.
Unless his flawed tactics, player selections and failure to address recurring issues are resolved soon, calls for him to be axed may crescendo into an unavoidable outcome. With potential World Cup exclusion looming ominously, Peseiro urgently requires tactical tweaks and positive performances to turn around his embattled tenure. If not, his reign risks ending in recriminations with Nigeria forced to seek a new guide to steer them to future glory.
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