EAGLETS BANG! BANG! BANG! Manu Garba Nigeria's Under 17 Team Make Goals So Easy

Isaac Success, Celebrates a goal

 Nigeria's under 17 team may have just introduced themselves with 6 - 1 mauling of Ghana starlets at the CAF U- 17 tournament, which began on Sunday April 14, 2013. And if you think that was a fluke, then watch out for their next game.

Perhaps, you may not be aware, but the Manu Garba tutored Eaglets have an intimidating record already. The team has scored a total of 127 goals in their build up matches, and had not lost any game - an average of 4 goals per match.

We may have lost count of how many goals striker like Isaac Success has scored so far. But in the first match of the CAF tournament played in the Moroccan city of Marakech, he scored 4 goals to announce how ruthless the Nigerian team could be in the tournament; which also serves as qualifiers for the FIFA U- 17 championship holding later in the year at United Arab Emirates.

Eaglet Current Squad

The Eaglets is good to go to Dubai if they beat Cote d'Ivoire on Wednesday, April 17. And I predict almost with certainty that Cote Ivoire will have a bag full of goals. But then, football is one sport that's largely unpredictable.

Although, the team has that school boys flair, but I could liken the Eaglets style of play to FC Barcelona free flowing Champagne football. You'll enjoy such display of raw skills and talent ingenuity, what these young lads can do with the ball.

One thing going for the team is age on their side. Perhaps, these set of boys are one of the youngest ever assembled by Nigeria. There's none in the team that has played in any of the national leagues or invited from clubs abroad. Most of the boys were selected from Shell/NNPC Secondary schools football competition, Pepsi Academy, Kwara Academy and some less known academies across Nigeria.

This is good for the development of Nigeria national teams. The case of over aged players has been dealt with. The team would likely be a good feeder for the U- 21, U- 23 and eventually, the Super Eagles.

Manu Garba, Eaglets Head Coach

We could attribute this great assembling to the experience of the Coaching crew. The head Coach, Manu Garba, has been to FIFA U- 17 several times in ‘assistant capacity.’ His First assistant, Emmanuel Amunike is a renowned ex- international, played for FC Barcelona and won AFCON in 1994. His second assistant, Nduka Ugbade, was the first Nigerian captain to win FIFA U- 17 in 1985. And goal keeper trainer, Emeka Amadi, was a goal keeper in the 1987 Eaglet squad.

The coaching crew knows what it takes to win at this level and they have practically transferred lots skills to these boys. Nigerians are so optimist that this present Eaglets team will go all the way to win the FIFA U- 17 championship. But before then, let us enjoy their next game.