4 TIPS ON SUPER EAGLES: What Makes Nigeria National Team So Different?

 At any point this team get its rhythm, it can over turn the score, even if the team is 6 goals down with just 10 minutes left, it can still go ahead and win the game. This is one unique character of Nigeria national team called, Super Eagles.

There's this common phrase among the team players, "It's not over until it's over!" It means you dare not say the Super Eagles is down and out, until the blast of the final whistle.

I've followed Nigeria national team since 1980. As a young lad then, I saw how Nigeria won the Cup of African Nations in that year. I also saw how the team won it again in 1994 and in the same year,  I saw how Nigeria played in it's first ever FIFA World cup in USA. I saw all the team's metamorphosis; all the foreign and indigenous coaches that where ever in charge of the team; when fans called the team, Green Eagles, then 'Papa Eagles' and now, Super Eagles. So I can tell you what makes the Nigerian team tick.

Nigerian Spirit: Have you ever heard the phrase, 'Never say die!' that's the Nigerian spirit! Irrespective of anything, a typical Nigerian believes he can breakthrough any barrier that stand on his way to reach his goal. It is a mind set imbibed from up bringing and general perception of life.

This mind set play out in the country's football team. The team never give up no matter the odds it faces in a game. Super Eagles has recorded some of the greatest come back and upset in football history.

High Individual Skills: Were you opportune to see players like Segun Odegbami, Musa Lawal, Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amunike, Victor Ikpeba, Austin Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu play for the Eagles? Well, these are the kind of very skillful individual players you find in Super Eagles team.

Although, many analysts say the Nigerian side usually lack team cohesiveness and concentration due to most of its players are called up from different foreign teams across the world where they ply their club football. But such high individual skills make up for that lack.

We may look at this way too. Before now, most Nigerian players develop their skills on the streets and while participating in some grassroots competition, which only inbuilt in them individual skills. But that is changing now, with the establishment of more standard quality academies such as Pepsi academy, Mildas academy, Kwara state football academy... Nigerian young players today are now developing more as team players.

Team Spirit: Super Eagles has an unusual team spirit that can conquer any team in world. One thing I have observed as I followed the national team is this, any coach that manages to inbuilt some form of team spirit in the national team usually always succeeds.

Unfortunately, Nigeria national team easily run into conflicts of different sorts: interpersonal interests, indiscipline, issues on players' welfare and financial remuneration etc.

I believe any wise coach in charge of the national team must always aim at achieving this success aura called team spirit!

Supernatural Powers: When you see Super Eagles gather together in a circle before the start of a game, the team is trying to invoke the 'god of Soccer' in its favor. A phantom believe on supernatural intervention in football games. Well, many football analysts in the world have found Super Eagles style of play a little bit mysterious. Some have even wondered if the team doesn't use 'African magic' in its football.

It doesn't matter how low Nigeria is placed in FIFA rankings, the team can easily cause a major upset in the world cup by going all the way to win the trophy in Brazil.