Having known Super Eagles’ opponents at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, what do you think Keshi should do before the kick-off next year?
Well, it is a tough group because I always believe that no team is small or weak anymore having played to qualify for the main tournament, so Keshi should try as much as possible to make sure he invites players that will share the same team spirit with him and he should try as much as possible to use the rest of this year to prepare the team for the Africa Nations Cup.
In a group where you have the defending champions, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Ethiopia, who do you think could make it to the next round among these four teams ?
All the teams in the group have the qualities to qualify for the second round but on paper, you may say Nigeria and Zambia will qualify. Burkina Faso and Ethiopia can play the spoilers game as well, so every team in that group has to be very careful. For me, I will go for Nigeria and Zambia but that does not mean they should underrate both Ethiopia and Burkina Faso because anything can happen in that group.
You seem not too sure that Nigeria can make it from that group, do you have any fear?
Not really, what I am trying to say is that the group is not going to be as easy as people thought. Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Zambia have all been there at various times and they have the experience already, so for us to qualify from the group, our players must show enough commitment, readiness and patriotism at the Nations Cup if they want Nigeria to go far. What we saw during the qualifying round will be different from what is going to happen in South Africa, so we need to prepare very well and set a target for ourselves even before they travel to South Africa.
Keshi is planning to try few new players before the kick-off of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa, do you think the time is right for that purpose?
I don’t think anything is wrong with that because we still have at least two months before the competition will start. But he should have it in mind that the time for experiment is over and the new players he is planning to introduce should not be more0 than two or three so that it will not affect the good work he has been doing in the last ten months. Keshi must have seen reasons for that and the only thing we can do is to support him so that the team can excel at the Championship.
Which of the teams do you think could give the Super Eagles problem during the Nations Cup?
Like I said earlier, all the team can give Nigeria problem but the preparation towards the tournament will determine how the team will perform. Ethiopia which everyone is seeing as the easiest team in the group could end up causing an upset. So every team should be treated the same way and they must not underrate them.
With your experience in the game of football, do you think that the present Super Eagles squad has the quality to win the 2013 Nations Cup?
We could all see that the team was improving during the qualifying games and the last match which they won 6-1 in Calabar was evidence that the team can always get better. If they improve on what they did during the qualifying rounds, I am sure that they will do well in South Africa. Winning the tournament is another thing and what will determine that is the team they meet in the second round, the quarter final, the semi-final and the final. I think our concentration should be on how to qualify from the group stage first. If we can qualify from the group, then we will know how to approach the other games because they would have learnt one of two things in the tournament.
What is your assessment about the home based players so far?
Personally, I will score them high because they have been able to prove that with time, they will be on same level with their foreign-based counterparts. We also have to thank Keshi for the confidence he has in these players because not many coaches can do what he is doing with the team. The only thing I can say is that they should be focused and concentrate on everything they are being thought in the camp.
Nigeria will be playing Venezuela on November 14 in Miami, United States of America, what do you expect from this match?
It is a friendly match and it should not be seen as a do or die affair. Normally, a match like that should help the coaches to know the fitness level of their players and the match will be a perfect opportunity for the coaches to try two or three new players that will be introduced to the team. Nigerians should also be made to understand that it is a build-up game to the Africa Nations Cup, so anything can happen.
Do you think the team needs more friendly
games to prepare for the Nations Cup?
Yes, that is what they need but they should try to avoid unnecessary injury so that the team will not have problem of missing any important player at the Nations Cup.
Finally, Nigeria will open her campaign against Burkina Faso, what do you expect from the match?
It is a match we must win if the team must go far in the Championship. A victory in that match will definitely give the players confidence that they can do it. They should go out for victory and nothing less.
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