Former Super Eagles’ winger, Baldwin Bazuaye has expressed satisfaction with the decision by Nigeria’s national team coach, Eric Chelle, to invite home-based players for the recent spate of friendly games that the squad is engaged in, Sports247 reports.
Speaking against the backdrop of Chelle’s decision to include 10 players from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) in his squad to the four-nation invitational Unity Cup in London and retain some for this Friday’s international friendly against Russia, Bazuaye reckoned that they will keep the Eagles’ array of stars from overseas’ clubs on their feet.
The now 56-year-old Bazuaye added that this strategy of mixing NPFL lads with overseas-based pros would help Chelle to maintain a very stiff though healthy competition for shirts in the Super Eagles and bring out the best in anyone of them who is called upon to play.
Bazuaye reasoned further, “Let him keep trying them for him to get his best. Playing the ones for the Unity Cup separately from those for Russia friendly match shows that he knows what he’s doing.
“I see it that he’s trying to look at different stages of the players. He wants to see what kind of players he has and the kind of quality they have to be in the national team.”
Bazuaye, who was in Nigeria’s pioneer cadet squad that won gold at China ’85 U16 World Cup, also took a specific look at the home-based players Chelle will be looking at once again on Friday versus Russia, and pointed out that the Franco-Malian coach must have watched the lads well in the domestic league before inviting them to the national team.
He expatiated, “When you look at the home-based players that he called up to join the normal team, he must have checked if they have the quality that’s enough for them to play in the Super Eagles. He knows if they can play what he wants them to play.
“Being in the national team depends on what the coach wants you to play … that’s what you’ll play. Maybe he has seen one or two persons from the home-based who’s going to do better than those from Europe. That’s one thing he’ll be talking about.”
Bazuaye, who shot to prominence in the colours of Bendel Insurance FC of Benin City and Julius Berger FC of Lagos before moving to Ionikos of Greece for greener pastures in 1992, concluded with a verdict that Chelle has found the right blend that should henceforth bring out the very best in the Eagles’ array of superstars, who used to see themselves as untouchable sacred cows.
“Inviting the home-based players at this stage is a challenge for them to give their very best. This means the foreign-based professionals should also note that they now have some junior ones already coming inside the Nigerian league.
“So, they all have to do their best for them to continue in the positions they have gained in the team before now,” submitted Bazuaye, who returned home to star for Concord FC of Abeokuta and Shooting Stars of Ibadan, then coached Insurance FC and Lobi Stars of Makurdi in the domestic league
