Ex-Nigerian international Duke Udi has expressed his opinion about former Super Eagles head coach Finidi George, describing the latter as more of a coach than a manager.

Udi shared his thoughts in an interview on Brila FM’s “No-Hold-Barred” with Ifeanyi Udeze.

He elaborated on the differences between managers and coaches, explaining that coaches need a long time to build teams, conduct preseason training, and review performance.

In contrast, national teams don’t have a preseason and usually only have a maximum of two weeks to assemble and prepare.

Therefore, it takes a manager to build a national team effectively, rather than a coach.

“In Finidi’s case, he is a coach but wants to transition into a manager, which will be difficult. Finidi is not a manager. He rushed into the position because he wanted the job, but managers are different,” Udi stated.

The former Grasshopper Club Zurich midfielder emphasized that even renowned managers like Pep Guardiola would struggle with a national team due to the lack of patience required.

Speaking on the national team, Udi urged the players to adopt a “never die” attitude and never give up. He also noted that many teams no longer fear the Super Eagles.

“Sometimes when you watch the Super Eagles, they look ordinary (with all due respect). We wonder, with all these superstars we’ve packed, what is happening? Before, even if you beat us, you would sweat.

“We used to thrash Benin four or five to nothing. If Benin Republic heard we were coming, they were always scared to play us. Now, they don’t fear us anymore, despite all our best players.”