Super Eagles trio of Wilfred Ndidi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Alex Iwobi has told the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to make sure that Eric Chelle continues as the coach of the team despite not meeting the target of winning the recently concluded AFCON, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Chelle wasn’t sure of his future with the team after the tournament, stating that he will know more after a meeting with the NFF, but it appears the players have already given him the vote of confidence required to continue in the job.
“For continuity, I feel like the NFF should keep the coach because he’s a wonderful manager,” Ndidi told ESPN.
“The only thing we need now is continuity, not to try to change things now because we didn’t get to a final.
He praised the way the coach has handled the team, saying it’s largely why they performed at a very good level at the AFCON.
“Things have been amazing for a long time, and that boils down to the coach and the leaders of the team for the future.
“We have to focus on the competitions ahead,” Ndidi added. “There are so many games ahead, and to focus on the team right now, I am proud of this set of players.
On his part Iwobi midfield star Iwobi praised the way the coach has brought togetherness in the camp of the team, and which has to a large extent foster a happy environment and healthy competition among the players.
“There’s one thing that we have in our camp and it’s a message we say all the time that it doesn’t matter how you are physically, you have to make sure you are ready mentally and the coach says it to us all the time.
“Also off the pitch, there’s big unity, there’s a big family and it starts from the coach. He’s brought that brotherhood and it’s nice because we are one big family and you can see on the pitch that we are fighting for each other.
“That’s bringing out the best, not just in me but in all the players.”
Ndidi says that has fostered a collective ethos that prioritizes team over individuals: “We’re not a one-man show, it’s not just one person carrying the team. Even for new players coming in, they see we have one philosophy; that the team is bigger than anybody.”
“That’s when I talk about standards, he’s the one who sets these standards. If you come, you have to come correct.”
Despite the high expectations, Chelle maintains an approachable demeanour that resonates with the squad.
“He’s a lovely guy, playing all the time,” Ndidi said. “Apart from being the manager, he plays with everyone.”
Defender Osayi-Samuel who had a tournament to remember mentioned the formation of the coach as key to the team’s performance at the AFCON.
“The team is getting better match after match,” Osayi-Samuel said. “The manager is responsible. The formation that we are playing, the way we start games, kudos to the manager. There is confidence within the team.”
He acknowledged that there was a learning curve involved in adopting the new system: “It’s a lot of information. This is a formation that we only just started playing. You can see everyone is starting to understand and each game we are growing together as team.”
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
