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Former Tremendous Eagles striker Jonathan Akpoborie has voiced sturdy help for Bruno Labbadia’s appointment as the brand new head coach of Nigeria’s nationwide soccer crew, the Tremendous Eagles, Soccernet.ng stories.
Labbadia, a seasoned coach with stints at Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg, Hamburg, and Bayer Leverkusen, was chosen forward of different high-profile contenders comparable to Herve Renard, Fabio Cannavaro, Aitor Karanka, and Gustavo Poyet.
Labbadia’s soccer profession mirrors Akpoborie’s in a number of methods, significantly their shared historical past within the Bundesliga, the place Labbadia was recognized for his wonderful goal-scoring capacity.
Akpoborie, who stays Nigeria’s all-time high scorer in Bundesliga historical past with 60 objectives, remembers Labbadia as an knowledgeable striker throughout their encounters in Germany. This familiarity has fueled Akpoborie’s confidence in Labbadia’s functionality as a coach.
Whereas acknowledging that Labbadia may not be an ‘A-list coach,’ Akpoborie insists that his appointment is a big step up from earlier teaching selections for the Tremendous Eagles.
“Bruno was a prolific striker; we had been adversaries within the Bundesliga,” Akpoborie advised Brila.internet.
“He performed for a lot of large golf equipment in Germany and is an excellent participant and a well known coach there.
“Appointing him because the Tremendous Eagles coach is an improve in comparison with the names which have dealt with the crew previously.
“We had been simply hoping now, as a result of soccer, you by no means can inform. However all these issues aside, they’ve picked someone able to really dealing with our nationwide crew for a really very long time.
“That is someone that may deal with our nationwide crew, and I’m hoping that the chemistry between him and the gamers will come collectively, and we’ll see good soccer from Nigeria.”
Akpoborie expressed hope that Labbadia’s expertise and understanding of the sport will translate right into a profitable tenure with Nigeria’s nationwide crew.
The previous VfB Stuttgart star additionally emphasised the significance of help from the Nigeria Soccer Federation and the broader soccer group, warning that with out it, Labbadia’s efforts might be undermined.
“The system needs to help the coach as a result of, with out the system supporting the coach, there’s a drawback,” Akpoborie famous.
Labbadia’s instant activity is to arrange the Tremendous Eagles for upcoming qualification campaigns for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup.
His first problem shall be a Nations Cup qualifier in opposition to Benin in Uyo on September 7, adopted by a match in opposition to Rwanda three days later.
