The former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has been accused of hindering the team’s attack minded players with his negative tactics at the 2023 delayed Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria went all the way to the final of the tournament before losing to the host Cote d’Ivoire 1-2 in the final. A game which they took the lead before conceding two late goals against the same team they defeated during the group stage.
Reflecting on their time at the tournament and the difference with the current coach Eric Chelle, a player in the team said their tactics are like night and day owing to the difference in the way they want their team to play, particularly in attack.
” They are not the same in anyway but it’s very glaring in attack because Peseiro hates it when we go all out to attack unlike Chelle who pushes us to go up the pitch and make it happen”, he explained.
” At the AFCON in the game against South Africa, we saw a chance to kill them off after taking the lead but he kept on limiting us by asking players to retreat even when an attack is on. In the final the moment we took the lead it was all about defending. He literally stopped us from attacking”.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
