After failing to qualify for Germany 2006, the Super Eagles are back in the hunt for their fourth FIFA World Cup desirous of making a huge splash.

For many years now, Nigeria have long been regarded as one of the power houses of African football following remarkable successes at other worldwide tournaments, having won the 1985, 1993 and 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup as well as the 1996 Olympic Football Tournament.

Yet, there are growing expectations within the rank and file of the team that they can turn the pages of history despite being grouped along with two-time champions Argentina, former European champions Greece and semi finalists at 2002, Korea Republic in their preliminary Group B section at this 2010 World Cup finals.

"We know that we will have a tough job at the World Cup. We are up against some tough teams like Argentina, with top players like [Lionel] Messi. It's important for us to prove that we can play our own game against the best," noted Chinedu Obasi, the Nigerian striker who helped modest German club, Hoffenheim to attain Bundelisga status.

After many decades of trying, Nigeria qualified for her first World Cup at the USA'94 under the management of Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof. There was nothing like stage fright as the Super Eagles reached the Round of 16 before bowing out gallantly to eventual runners up, Italy. On top of this, the team was voted the Second Most Entertaining side behind eventual champions, Brazil.

This is a landmark achievement for a team making its maiden appearance at this level. The Super Eagles topped their preliminary group which included Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece. In their first game Nigeria defeated Bulgaria 3-0, lost 2-1 to Argentina and qualified for the second round after a 2-0 victory over Greece.

In the knockout stages, the Super Eagles took a first half lead through Emmanuel Amuneke and were actually within one minute of qualifying for the quarter finals until Roberto Baggio scored to take the game to extra time. He also scored the eventual winning goal via a penalty as the Nigerians gallantly bowed out of the USA'94 finals.

The Super Eagles were unable to meet such a high standard in their successive appearances at the France '98 and Korea/Japan 2002.  Nigeria had opened their France '98 World Cup account by humiliating Spain 3-2 followed by 1-0 win against Bulgaria, and despite losing 3-0 to Paraguay, they still topped their preliminary phase to the admiration of their fans. As soccer gold medal winners following their success at the Atlanta '96 Olympic Football Tournament (OFT), Nigeria were the best bet to progress beyond the Round of 16 stage after being drawn against former European Champions, Denmark.

How wrong such expectations turned out to be! In what would go down as one of the big upsets in World Cup history, Nigeria, led by veteran coach Bora Milutinovic, were  handed a 4-1 defeat  by the Danes at the Stade de France  in St. Denis.
If the Round of 16 elimination by Denmark at France '98 was thought to be a disappointment, the Super Eagles outing at the first World Cup in the Far East co-hosted by Korea and Japan was a huge embarrassment as the team not only failed to  progress  beyond the group stage but failed to even win a game with defeats to Argentina (1-0), Sweden (2-1) and a goalless draw against England at the Nagai Stadium, Osaka in Japan on June 12,2002. They missed qualification for the 2006 World Cup, after finishing level on points in the qualification group with Angola but lost the ticket based on the head-to-head rule.

To qualify for their fourth World Cup appearance in South Africa though, the Super Eagles had to draw on their experience to overhaul Tunisia on top of their qualifying section on the last day after a 3-2 win against Kenya in Nairobi as the North Africans lost 1-0 away to Mozambique in Maputo.

So it would be eight years exactly on June 12 since the Super Eagles played her last game at the World Cup when they face Argentina in their opening game at SA 2010.

Indeed, a lot of water has passed through the proverbial bridge for the Super Eagles with a lot of changes in the coaching personnel-the last being  the sacking of coach Shaibu Amodu after the team's unsuccessful bid to win the African Cup of Nations in Angola last January. Enter 61-year-old Lars Lagerback, the vastly experienced coach, who incidentally masterminded Sweden's 2-1 defeat of Nigeria at the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup. Lagerback, who coached his native Sweden for nine years, was picked ahead of compatriot and former England's manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, Englishman Glen Hoddle, Serb Ratomir Djukovic and Frenchman Bruno Metsu. 

“Nigeria have a great chance to do well in the World Cup,� said  Lagerback  who managed Sweden between 1998 and 2009 leading  them to five consecutive championships,  after  signing his contract on February 26, 2010.
“Even the time I coached a small country like Sweden, I have always had the ambition and the belief that we can win matches and do well. If you don't believe that you can win matches in a tournament as a team and as a coach, then you don't deserve to be at the competition. Playing football at this level is all about winning. I think there is a realistic chance for Nigeria to go a long way in the World Cup in South Africa.�

Lagerback had poured all his time and energy on the job combing the nook and crannies as well as monitoring several Nigerian players in Europe and upon the release of his initial 30-man provisional list to FIFA, almost everyone agreed that these were the best Nigerians for the job based on form and reality.

He noted that Nigerian players already possess the ability to excel at any level and that his job as the coach was to explore the possibilities of helping the players to play up to their full potentialities.

“No team could be said not to have problems,� he further explained when asked if it was not a gamble to coach Nigeria at a time the team seemed to be in crisis.

“The basic thing for a team is to have good individual skills, and I can tell you sincerely that from the number of matches of the Super Eagles that I have watched, it is evidently clear that Nigerian players have the basic ingredients required in football. So, the next thing to consider is the attitude of the players themselves. That is - are they ready to work 100 per cent for the team? Are they ready to work from their hearts? What does it mean for them to play in the national team of their country? And also would they play the way everybody expects and also do their best to lift the team all the time?�

These are questions Largerback must have provided answers to following his enthusiasm on the eve of the World Cup that his wards are ready to confront the world.

The Super Eagles will kick off their SA 2010 campaign with the high profile game against Argentina at the famous Ellis Park Stadium which hosted the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup between Brazil and the United States.

For most Nigerians, the game against the Albiceleste on June 12 is more or less a Cup final judging by the rivalry between both teams at this level. In 1994, Nigeria took a sensational lead with a goal by Samson Siasia but was punished twice for lack of concentration as Argentina rallied to a 2-1 win. The team also conceded a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in 2002 via a second-half goal by Gabriel Batistuta.

Another underlining story around the fixture is the fact that Lionel Messi and co won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship gold as well as the Soccer Gold medal of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the expense of Nigeria.
Yet, Lagerback remains positive saying that his focus is not only on Argentina but the three First Round opponents which also include Greece and South Korea.

Greece, European Champions in 2008, are not unknown quantity having also played against Nigeria at this level in the countries' final Group D match at USA '94. Goals from Finidi George and Daniel Amokachi earned Nigeria a 2-0 win, sealing top spot in the section ahead of Bulgaria and Argentina.

The Super Eagles would be hoping for an encore against the Greeks at SA 2010 to put them in a good frame before their final Group B fixture against Korea Republic on June 22. This would be the first game between both teams at this level and it could well determine their chances of progressing to the knockout stages.

Of course, the Super Eagles' poor performance at the African Cup of Nations could have jolted the players to the reality of the task ahead judging by perspective offered by Obasi yet again.

"In Nigeria, people expect us to win games, they are passionate about football. This on its own is pressure, but we understand," Obasi, a former youth international who will be making his World Cup debut remarked.
"Obviously we went to Angola to win the Nations Cup. We wanted to be the top team in Africa again, but things didn't go according to plan. Life is like that: sometimes you plan for something and it doesn't turn out the way you had planned it. The World Cup has to be different for us because there is so much at stake."

The Super Eagles' squad at this World Cup is a mixture of the old and young with Lagerback casting his lot with some of the players who did Nigeria proud by winning the 2008 Olympic Football Tournament's silver medal in Beijing in 2008.

There are also familiar faces with several players from the English Premier League getting the nod. From veteran star, Nwankwo Kanu at Portsmouth to the Everton trio of Joseph Yobo, Victor Anichebe and Yakubu Aiyegbeni as well as notable names like Taye Taiwo who won the French League 1 title with Olympique Marseille, experienced goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama amongst others.

Despite what looked like a tricky group, the Super Eagles have the talents to match their Round of 16 benchmark in previous tournaments and that done, you can expect the team to gain much confidence to progress even further.