Sports
‘Eagles Need More Quality Friendlies To Win Cote d’Ivoire 2024 AFCON’
Super Eagles Coach, Jose Peseiro, believes that playing more quality friendly games on good pitches will aid Nigeria’s quest to win its fourth Africa Cup of Nations at the 2024 edition in Cote d’Ivoire.
He said good preparation and training on good pitches would help the technical crew to assemble an outstanding squad capable of surmounting every opposition at the AFCON.
Commending the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for arranging the international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, Peseiro said more of such games would expose the team’s frailties and help the coaches find solutions to them before the AFCON.
“The Eagles need to play against the best teams because such games help to expose our current level and where we need improvement.
“Some of the players I really wanted to see their performance through the friendly games could not make it to the Portugal camp and I had to get quick replacements for them. There are committed players in the present Eagles’ squad and they are ready for the challenges ahead,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Super Eagles defender, Bright Omokaro, has said that the Nigerian team has what it takes to win Group A of the 2024 AFCON, which comprises Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
He said the quality in the Eagles current squad should be every coach’s delight, adding, however, that the team needs hard work and quality preparation to return to the summit of the African game.
“Playing against Cote d’Ivoire, which is a strong team and also the host of the AFCON in the opening game might be tough for the Super Eagles, but I strongly believe Nigeria will not be disgraced in that game.
“Nigerians should be positive about the Eagles in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers and next year’s AFCON,” he said.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.