The Super Eagles star will begin 2023 Africa Cup of Nations action with group matches against Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
Former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has given his insight into the Super Eagles team ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.
José Peseiro’s team consists of tournament host Ivory Coast, West African neighbor Guinea-Bissau, and Central African team Equatorial Guinea.
As the Super Eagles prepare for AFCON in Ivory Coast, concerns about Peseiro’s abilities remain among fans despite the team’s record of three draws and two wins in their last five matches.
Okocha reflects on the current state of the team, reflects the sentiments of the fans and says Nigeria, historically regarded as an African giant with a strong reputation in football, may be up to something during his tenure. It expresses the belief that it cannot be done. Due to recent poor performance, it has lost the respect and commanding factor it once had.
“I don’t think we are where we should be. We have always believed that we are one of the best teams in Africa, but recently we have seen the results we deserved. is not out. Because of this, we may have lost a little bit of the respect and fear that we had in my time,” he commented, as quoted by Time Lives.
Earlier, Mutiu Adepoju in an interview with Soccernet.ng highlighted that the Super Eagles team may lack cohesion and leadership.
Based on this observation, Okocha, while acknowledging the team’s talent, emphasized the need for a collective team effort over the performance of individual stars.
“We have young players, and it’s important to let them play as a team and not as individual superstars.” This is where the coach’s job has to start. I definitely think we have a good team. ” he added.
The AFCON tournament is scheduled to begin in January 2024, with the aim of giving fans something to cheer about as the Super Eagles prepare to take on hosts Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. It is to do.
