The Super Eagles’ hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is barely hanging by a thread and former Nigerian winger Garba Lawal believes a distinct lack of resilience is the chief cause of their current predicament, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria have four games left to salvage what has been a really disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign after recording one win, four draws and one defeat in their opening six matches to leave them trailing Group C leaders South Africa by six points at this stage.
With two crucial qualifying fixtures against Rwanda and South Africa coming up in September, anything less than a win in both matches will almost certainly consign the Super Eagles to a second consecutive absence at the Mundial next year.
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Asked during an exclusive interview with Persecondnews what he believes will help the Super Eagles succeed in their quest, Lawal said: “The crucial difference between the Super Eagles of the past and the current team is resilience.
“While tactics and individual talent are important, they amount to nothing if you don’t put in the extra hard work on the pitch. The present team’s attitude and character must change. We have talented individual players, but what we sorely lack is resilience.
“Consider our current World Cup qualification predicament; the team put themselves in this position, and only the players can turn the tide. They understand the significance of qualifying for the World Cup. I was fortunate enough to participate twice, in 1998 and 2002.”
Aside from participating in back to back World Cups, Lawal also played for Nigeria at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta where he helped the Super Eagles clinch gold alongside other legends such as Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo.
