Chelle admits Nigeria must be serious to deliver great AFCON in Morocco

Nigeria coach Eric Chelle has admitted that the Super Eagles must produce a superb game to reclaim the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

The Super Eagles will head to the North African nation pooled in Group C with Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania. According to the Malian coach Nigeria will have to be serious and trust their mindset to make it out of the group.

In history, Nigeria have appeared in the finals of the AFCON on 20 occasions, and they have won the Cup three times: the first time was in 1980 and they won a second title in 1994, held in Tunisia.

Nigeria won their third African title in 2013, when it was held in South Africa.

Nigeria must be ready, it is a tough group

“At AFCON there are no small teams. It’s a festival and every nation arrives with a real chance. These teams want to show their progress and their footballing vision,” said Chelle as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

“Given our history, our quality of play and the calibre of past and present players, we must deliver a great AFCON. It’s a tough group: Tunisia have had an excellent year; Uganda are improving fast under Paul Put; Tanzania’s domestic league is competitive. We’ll have to be very serious and trust our mindset.”

Asked whether he will be under pressure with Nigeria’s last success coming in 2013, Chelle replied: “As I said, I created a bubble. I stay focused on my goals. Before AFCON, there’s a crucial target: the World Cup play-offs.

“The goal is to win those matches (note: against Gabon on 13 November and, if successful, the final on 16 November). If we win the first, we’ll aim for the second, then turn to AFCON. We’re working in parallel, but our mindset must first be on those immediate tests.

“When you coach Nigeria, you have to win everything. But we proceed with humility, with a smile and a will to work. This team has great players. If we stay serious, motivated and united, nothing is impossible.”

Nigeria will be ready mentally, and in our collective mindset

He concluded: “Of course we want to win it. Personally, I want to win AFCON. My last — and first — AFCON was a fantastic experience. I think Morocco will be a great tournament, too. The players feel the same.

“Since March we’ve played every match under pressure. When we set foot in Morocco, that pressure will be familiar. We’ll be ready mentally and in our collective mindset. If we arrive on the back of play-off success, stopping us will be difficult.

“But there are big teams: Morocco are favourites, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire… nations in top form. Our strength is that the players have suffered, then found a way through. That can really hurt opponents.”

The Super Eagles will kick off their campaign against Taifa Stars of Tanzania on December 23.