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Three key changes Finidi George could bring to Super Eagles

With Finidi George confirmed as the interim coach to lead the Super Eagles in the international friendly games against Ghana and Mali, expectations are high as to what difference the ex-international could bring to the senior national team.

Tipped among the favourite coaches to land the coveted Super Eagles managerial job, Finidi George has a silver platter on his hands with the upcoming friendlies to prove his competence and convince the authorities on why he should be appointed as the substantive coach of the three-time Africa champions.

To him, these are more than just friendly matches, and it helps that he is not new to the national team nor the players after being Jose Peseiro’s assistant coach for over two years.

In this article, we take a look at some managerial changes the former Enyimba international gaffer could bring to the Super Eagles in these two friendly matches:

Key Changes to expect from Finidi George

Attacking style of Play

Finidi George, a beguile winger during his playing days, spent a combined seven years in the colours of both Ajax and Real Betis. If there is a thing these two clubsides are known for, it is their philosophy of attacking play.

Imprinted in the Ajax football style is the Total Football philosophy engineered by Johan Cruyff, and Finidi in his managerial career has not betrayed this philosophy as his teams are always known for a free-flowing style of play, which means Super Eagles fans can be hopeful of once again seeing their team play some eye-catching football.

Tactical Flexibility
A chunk of the criticisms at Peseiro was his rigidity at sticking to a single tactical approach even in the face of the approach not working out. With Finidi, that is most likely going to be non-existent, with the Nigerian gaffer having shown his knack for tactical flexibility and excellent game reading during his stint at Enyimba. There were occasions during a match that Finidi has had to switch from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-4-1-1 with two strikers, one centre forward and the other a roamer.

Top Football experience
Unlike Peseiro, Finidi George had a more successful playing career, winning major trophies including the UEFA Champions League as well as representing Nigeria twice at the FIFA World Cup.

With experience of having tasted football at the highest stages, it could prove to be important in the dressing room and on the pitch with the current players in the Super Eagles hungry for major silverwares with the national team.

Finidi could bring his rich experience to bear on the current crop of players which could be a significant source of motivation and guide to a winning culture in the Super Eagles.

 

 

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King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

 

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Mbappé: Would Have Been 'Fun' To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”

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