The disposition of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the technical crew of the Super Eagles to the final match day of the African Cup of Nations tie against Seychelles are not good enough. Because the country has picked a ticket to the continental football fiesta, it is believed the match is of no significance.
We, however, make bold to say that the Seychelles tie is good to test how ready our players are for the Nations Cup and the build-up games. After missing out on two editions, the Super Eagles should return with a bang at the next edition of the event which is significant in many ways.
First, this edition is taking place in June and also it has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams. After the defeat suffered against South Africa in the Match Day one in the series, Eagles went ahead to beat Seychelles 3-0 away, whip Libya home and away to amass nine points and also held South Africa to 0-0 draw away.
Libya and South Africa are to compete for the second slot in the group in a crunch encounter in the last Match Day of the qualifiers. The Eagles encounter with Seychelles could be a mere formality on paper but we call on the NFF and Manager Gernot Rohr-led technical crew that it must be taken seriously.
The manager has opted to use the encounter to try out some new players but it is important to use that match as the starting point of the country’s preparation for 2019 AFCON. We recall that was the situation shortly before Russia 2018 World Cup as Rohr took his best players for the encounter against Algeria.
This match slated for March 23rd should be prosecuted by the A list players. It should be used to test readiness for the big encounter against Pharaohs of Egypt scheduled for March 26th. Both games will be played at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
These games should serve as opening preparatory steps for the team. Rohr and the chieftains of the NFF should bear in mind that there will be no other window for friendlies after the games. The period of the competition also falls in off season when the players must have finished a full season and will need rest.
African players are always reluctant to honour games at this time, but Nations Cup is huge enough to bring them out. We can bring out some of the examples in the past, but the coaches should intro- duce strict monitoring system to get the best to camp for the final phase of AFCON camping.
It is obvious the defence is not strong enough with Bryan Idowu, Elderson Echeijile and Kenneth Omeruo as major doubts. Getting consistent, tough and agile players to compete with these players who are obviously weak is very important. The striking position is also suspect as Odion Ighalo needs a strong challenge in case the Eagles are to play with two strikers or Ighalo is off form. Kelechi Iheanacho has not done well enough to make the list of AFCON camping and if he is to be there he should be well evaluated on merit before the final list is drawn.
However, early preparations and intense monitoring are required to get the players in tip-top shape for this tournament. All the logistics of camping and other issues should be sorted out early enough because many off the field issues also contribute to the success of the team.
We are aware that AFCON as a continental event is even tougher than the World Cup because of the physical nature of most African teams. It is important to note that the North Africans are stronger in recent time. Egypt and Morocco have been consistent over the years and we expect the Eagles to double efforts in preparation for these teams and the competition. Because there will be no other FIFA window for friendly games before the tournament, the players as true professionals should prepare well on their own and avoid injuries as much as they can.
It is important to also remind the players that the AFCON tournament is a major window to boost their chances of winning the African Footballer of The Year award. This is the best time to start preparing for collective and individual feats at AFCON. Nigeria has won three AFCON titles and the country lost in four final matches of the tournament.
We strongly believe the country has not done well enough to justify its football pedigree at global level. We hereby charge the NFF, coaching crew and the Super Eagles players to approach the forthcoming AFCON with the hope of winning the trophy to compensate for the two editions the country failed to qualify. Nigeria has the talents to rule Africa in the next three editions of the Nations Cup if the right things are done. The corporate Nigeria and other stakeholders should embrace the AFCON project to make Super Eagles great again
