The Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, reaffirmed his unwavering desire to lead the team to victory at the upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON), saying that in order to do so, the group must enhance its organisational structure, dynamics, and models.
The Super Eagles, who finished first in Group A with six points after defeating So Tomé and Prncipe 10-0 in June and Sierra Leone 2-1 in June, are on track to qualify for the next AFCON, which will take place in Cote d'Ivoire.
The Super Eagles will play the home-based Desert Foxes of Algeria today before facing the main team and two-time AFCON champions on September 27 in Oran as part of their preparations for additional qualifying games next year.
“I have always repeated that I want to win the next AFCON and to achieve this we must improve the national team,” Peseiro told NFF TV yesterday. “We have to introduce new models, new dynamics, and new organisations.”
When asked how difficult it was keeping tabs on the players before settling on the final set of players invited for the Desert Foxes clash, the Portuguese coach said Nigeria is blessed with many good players, adding that the current team has what it takes to achieve success.
He said: “I have said not once or twice that we have many good players, both in quality and quantity. For this, we believe we can achieve success with the present crop of players.”
“I am very impressed with how the players are responding to training. They come to training with happiness and enjoy every session but at the same time they must put in maximum effort in training and focus on the job,” he added.
He continued: “I demand 100 percent from them, maximum concentration and focus from them but at the same time they should enjoy their time.”
“We need to create connections between the players, we need to encourage relationships between the players both inside and outside the pitch.”