![]() |
KESHI firstclassnewsline.net |
returnee coach of the national team, Stephen Keshi, to give his best.
Chukwu told a source that Keshi and his team have no excuse for
failure in the qualifiers for the Rwanda 2016 African Nations
Championship and the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Keshi signed a two-year contract with the Nigeria Football Federation
last week to continue as the Eagles' coach, ending months of
controversy which followed the expiration of his previous contract
that ended in July 2014.
Keshi's immediate tasks are to prepare the Eagles for the AFCON
qualifiers, which will start in June, and CHAN qualifiers, in which
the Eagles are billed to face the Stallions of Burkina Faso in
October.
Chukwu, who led the Eagles to a third place finish in the Tunisia 2004
AFCON, told our correspondent that the delay in reappointing Keshi was
unnecessary, but noted that the coach has enough players and time to
put them together.
He said, "I don't think we have a new coach. It is continuity. The
only thing is that the delay in signing the contract made it look like
a new coach was appointed. This should have been done long time ago so
that by now our team would have stabilised. But all the same, we have
all the materials; we have the quality players to qualify and possibly
win CHAN.
"Our league is very strong and our home-based players are improving.
Keshi just needs to do a careful selection; going round the league
venues asking the club coaches to assist him in the positions he needs
players. I believe he (Keshi) will make it with the support of the NFF
and everybody. We don't expect the Eagles to have any excuse to fail
to qualify for CHAN and AFCON, provided they are given all they
require. I don't think there is any excuse except they fail to play
well on the pitch."
Chukwu, an AFCON winning captain of the national team in 1980, advised
Keshi to make the Nigeria-based players the core of his team.
He said playing CHAN will help prepare such players for the AFCON
qualifiers, adding that the team can then be shored up with a few
Europe-based players.
"Now, we can't say we have many quality players in Europe. If we
prepare the Nigerian league players properly, they will qualify us for
the Nations Cup. Any of our players playing well in Europe, should be
invited, but I don't think this is the time to call over 20 players
from Europe. It is time to invite only three or four players from
Europe to fill positions where we don't have strong home-based
players," Chukwu said.
He also advised Keshi not to underrate any of Egypt, Chad and Tanzania
who make up Nigeria's group in the AFCON qualifiers.
Firstclassnewsline.net
No comments:
Post a Comment
To get the world and your friends informed.. Feel free to share every news you read on this site on any web or on any social network by clicking on the SHARE BUTTON ABOVE or share it by any other means but ensure to always share with the site link(web address) for reference and to avoid being SUED for intellectual theft.......post a comment after reading as well..,...we are here to serve you the best
use anonymous to post a comment if necessary