The position of the Nigerian Super Eagles Head Coach has been vacant for a while now. In view of this, there have been several speculations making the rounds of different managers in contention for the job. Well, among the names that have been in several reports is Hervé Renard. Just like every other candidate speculated for the Super Eagles coaching job, Hervé Renard is one with an impressive profile.
What makes Hervé Renard stand out among other managers in contention for the Super Eagles job? This article will discuss that. In this article, you will be reading four reasons Hervé Renard should be hired as the next Super Eagles manager. Without wasting time, let’s get into it.
1. Experience With Big Players
Sometimes, players’ egos can be a problem in the dressing room. This can be a challenge for the manager, even overwhelming him in his job. The past Super Eagles manager, Finidi George had problems overcoming this challenge. For instance, Victor Osihmen‘s outburst on his Instagram account about coach Finidi George showed a lack of player management skills on the manager’s part.
Well, this is just one of the examples in the past that shows how a player’s ego in the Super Eagles camp can become an obstacle to a manager in the course of his job.
Hervé Renard is one manager who has shown impeccable skills in this aspect. When it comes to player management, his track record is a good one. Hervé Renard has worked with big players such as Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Wilfred Bony, and Salomon Kalou, among others. These were players who played at the highest level in their club careers winning prestigious titles. Titles such as the Champions League, Premier League, etc. Even with that, Hervé Renard did not have any issues coaching them. In fact, with the Ivorian National Team, he went on to win the prestigious African Cup Of Nations trophy. This makes him an ideal candidate for the Super Eagles Job — a job with tasking responsibilities.
2. Experience Coaching African Teams
If there’s any foreign coach with good number of years coaching African teams, then it is Hervé Renard. Hervé Renard has spent a large number of his coaching years on African soil. He has not just spent years in Africa, he has also won meaningful trophies in all of the time he spent in Africa. In Zambia, he won the continental African Cup of Nations trophy in 2012. In Ivory Coast, he also won the African Cup of Nations trophy in 2015. With Morocco, he also helped them qualify for the World Cup in 2018 for the first time since 1998.
So, this shows that Hervé Renard is not just a pushover but one who has an impressive track record to lead the Nigerian Super Eagles squad to continental greatness.
Coupled with his experiences, Hervé Renard is a manager to first calls it quit when things are not going as planned in his job. Most of the time, he resigns when he notices things are not going too well. In his time in Saudi Arabia and Morocco, he has shown this level of professionalism. His attitude to the job is quite in contrast to other managers who have previously held the coaching position in the Super Eagles team. They usually wait until they are sacked before they quit.
Sometimes things go well, sometimes things don’t. The ability to recognize when it is time to quit when things do not go well makes Hervé Renard a great professional for the job.
3. Pragmatic Style Of Play
In the past, the Super Eagles have struggled to implement a style of play that is fitting to every opponent they face. For instance, in the past African Nations Cup Competition, the Super Eagles team failed to score goals even against seemingly small opponents.
They showed fear and “too much respect” for the opponents they faced in the competition. And as a result, couldn’t win the African Cup of Nations 2024 title. However, with Hervé Renard the tactical story is different.
Hervé Renard is known to instill courage in his team. He is known for implementing a pragmatic style of play that is well-adjusted to every opponent that they face. For instance, when he was the coach of the Saudi Arabia National Team, his team was able to defeat Argentina in the group stage. In fact, at every level he has coached, this has been one fact about his team that has stood him out among other coaches.
There is no doubt that with him in charge of the Super Eagles team, fear for opponents would be a thing of the past. With Hervé Renard, there’s a high chance for the Nigeria Super Eagles team to regain the fear and respect that was once had for the team.
4. Neutrality In Selecting Players
When it comes to a coach like Hervé Renard, there’s no favoritism when it comes to selecting players for national duty. This is one area where past Super Eagles managers have been criticized. These Super Eagles’ former managers were known to invite inconsistent players to the national team camp regularly.
These selections were not usually based on merit, instead they are based on money or connections. This is one of the reasons why the Super Eagles squad is usually filled with mediocre players rather than world-class players.
Hervé Renard would be coming to the job with no player favoritism in mind. Of course, he is a foreign coach and as such, would be presented with a clean slate to carry out his selection and changes in the squad.
So, it is expected that merited players are the ones who would be called up to represent the Nigerian National Team by Hervé Renard. He has done it with the Zambian, Ivorian, and Saudi Arabian teams and it has yielded great results. So, this is another solid reason Hervé Renard should be highly considered for the Super Eagles job.
Conclusion
Hervé Renard’s experience in managing teams in the African continent makes him stand out among other options. Along with that, his impact on his teams is one to also be praised. He has been able to turn struggling teams into continental champions. In conclusion, the decision on whether to hire Hervé Renard lies in the hands of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF). There’s nothing else to speculate. So, for now, let’s keep our fingers crossed and wait for who gets the job eventually.
