“We shouldn’t play like smaller teams” – Osaze Odemwingie throws subtle jab at former Super Eagles coach, backs Nigeria to qualify for World Cup

Former Super Eagles and West Bromwich Albion, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, has urged the Nigerian Football team to play attacking football and to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 43-year-old recently completed a professional golfers course after a football career that spanned over a decade.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria could not secure a win in their World Cup qualifiers last month, putting their chances of playing in the World’s biggest football competition in a delicate spot.

However, Odemwingie believes the three-time AFCON winners can qualify if they play attacking football, throwing shades at Jose Peseiro’s defensive AFCON 2023 tactics.

“We have the players and materials needed. Personally, I didn’t enjoy watching our team play in the last Nations Cup because we didn’t perform like our usual selves. However, we need to play defensively against top teams like Germany, Argentina and Brazil, but be more ambitious in the African Cup. If we take that into consideration 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,” the ex-Stoke City man said on the No Holds Barred with Brila FM.

Finidi George resigned as the coach of the Super Eagles after two games in charge of the team, and the position is still vacant. Odemwingie hopes there is a resolution soon, so the team can get back on track.

“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. 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,” the former Bendel Insurance man concluded.

Nigeria will play against Rwanda, Benin Republic, and Libya in their quest for AFCON 2025 qualification. Rwanda and Benin Republic are also present in the Super Eagles’ current World Cup qualifying group.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.

With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.

He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.