Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Sekou Chelle is taking stock of his first five matches with the Nigerian national team and hinted that he is satisfied with the progress they have already made under him, but acknowledged that he still has more work to do.
Sports247 reports that Friday’s friendly against Russia was Chelle’s fifth match in charge of the Eagles and, while many fans were satisfied with the 1-1 draw they got in Moscow, the gaffer pledged to continue working hard to ensure the Nigerian squad keeps getting better.
Rather than feel fulfilled that he is yet to lose a single game after five outings with the Eagles, Chelle promised to keep his feet on the throttle and ensure that his tenure at the helm of the Nigerian team continues progressing.
Friday’s result away to Russia in a high-profile international friendly was Chelle’s third draw since taking over the squad, following a 1-1 stalemate at home with Zimbabwe in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and 2-2 end to full time with Jamaica last weekend in the Unity Cup final, which Nigeria later won 5-4 on penalties.
Although some critics rate him average with three draws from five games, the Franco-Malian tactician prefers to look on the bright side and promised that the team will work on all lessons learnt during this international window, which comes before the World Cup qualifiers resume in September.
Eric Chelle stated: “The major lesson is that we need to work and we need to improve. We need to continue to work with this project and with this identity.”
The former head coach of Mali and MC Oran of Algeria also spoke about the basics of his match strategy, as he revealed: “Our style is that we want to get the ball back high on the field. That’s why you see us playing with intensity.”
His next outing will be at home against Rwanda, after which they will play away to South Africa, both in continuation of the race to Canada-USA-Mexico 2026, the first Mundial to be co-hosted by three countries.
Sports247.ng
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