Former Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba has stated that the qualification of the Super Eagles for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa has brought back the team's lost glory, while tipping the team for the semifinals.
The Eagles defeated the Lone Star of Liberia 6-1 on Saturday inside the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar to join 15 other countries who will be taking part in the tournament.
Speaking as a guest analyst on Monday Night Football on SuperSport the former AS Monaco forward said: “I would like to say a big congratulations to the Super Eagles. They’ve restored some respect and pride back to Nigeria, especially to the fans who were disappointed that they didn’t make it to the last tournament,” he said.
“I can’t remember the last time we scored six goals in a football match. I think it was only during the time of the late Rashidi Yekini when we defeated Burkina Faso 7-1. The positive from the game against Liberia was that we were scoring goals unlike in the past when we used to struggle to score goals.
“With the quality of players we have, we can play any team in Africa. Though we are not in the same category with the likes of Cote d’Ivoire who are a bit above us I'm confident with the quality of players we have. I'm sure we will get to the last four,” he said.
The Atlanta 1996 Olympic soccer gold medalist hailed the impact of coach Stephen Keshi on the team so far, but advised that he should work on the tactical aspect of the team.
“Keshi comes with a lot of experience. He qualified Togo for the AFCON and the World Cup, Mali for the AFCON. We have quality players but the tactical approach to the modern game is still lacking. I think what he has to do is work on the tactical aspect of this squad.
“The team have to know when to attack and when to defend. Sometimes we attack in numbers and get punished on the counter. The Liberians had good counter attacks which they would have punished us with. This is the time to work on this. Rome was not built in a day like what Keshi said, some of the players were playing for the first time and second time. What I'm saying is that the tactical approach is not yet there but if we can get this in place we will be dangerous in South Africa.”
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