Jose Peseiro, the head coach of the Super Eagles, has disclosed the reasoning for his decision to choose 25 players for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Portuguese had the option of selecting 27 players for the competition, but instead elected to name 25 players for the biannual competition.
Peseiro stated that he made his decision in consultation with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Managing 25 players, according to the former Saudi Arabia and Venezuela tactician, would be easier for him.
“The figure comes from the Nigeria Football Federation.” NFF chose to bring in 25 players. I agree that twenty-five players are adequate. “NFF decided to take 25 players from the start,” Peseiro told the Super Eagles reporters.
“We made a long list of 41 players, and these players have been with us up until now.” The performance factored into the selection because some players performed well in their clubs but did not perform well for our national team.
“It can happen in the opposite direction; some players perform very well in the national team but do not perform well in clubs – it’s a different atmosphere, a different context.”
“The third one is their current form, whether they are playing well or not, and whether they demonstrate good conditions for their clubs for us.” I attempt to bring five central defenders, five midfielders, four wingers, and four forwards.
“Some players provide more deep moments, some provide more support, and some provide more connection.” We attempted to synchronize these traits and solutions for our system and game.”
The Super Eagles will begin training for the competition on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The West Africans have been assigned to Group A, alongside hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.
On Sunday, January 14, the three-time African champions will face Equatorial Guinea at the Alssanne Quattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan.
