Nigeria coach Eric Sekou Chelle fired back at critics of his team and tactics following the 3-2 victory over Tunisia in the Africa Cup of Nations group stage, defending his decisions that drew widespread criticism from fans over the substitutions that nearly cost the Super Eagles all three points in a game that completely controlled.
So dominant were they in the first half of that game that their 1-0 lead from a Victor Osimhen header felt like scant compensation. That was addressed in the second half when Nigeria increased the lead to 3-0, but it is the way they allowed Tunisia back into the game from that position which has drawn critique.
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images
Coach Chelle, though, was not having it and hit back at his critics
“I am surprised because nobody talks about the first half and the 75 minutes and the high pressure, about the movement, about the technical quality of the players,” Chelle said during the post-game press conference when asked about his team’s collapse. “Nobody talks about [how] the team deserves the victory, and such a great win.
“During this game, we were good for 75 minutes. At the end of the first half, we had 70% possession and until 75 minutes we were the best team on the pitch, so I am very proud and happy for my players.”
Most of the criticism focused on the coach’s personnel adjustments that disrupted Nigeria’s structure, allowing Tunisia to exploit the flanks and capitalize on set-piece opportunities. The North Africans pulled one back from a freekick before forcing and converting a penalty to make it 3-2, exposing and taking advantage of defensive vulnerabilities that had been largely absent earlier in the match.
Chelle defended his decision to introduce two wingers Chidera Ejuke and Moses Simon, explaining the substitutions were designed to counter Tunisia’s tactical shift. “Because now they know our system, that is why I did some substitution,” he said. “If you have two wingers, they cannot go to the side. But they were right because they scored. One set piece, one penalty kick.”
Chelle acknowledged his team’s defensive lapses on set pieces but insisted that no team could sustain the kind of high intensity pressure his team had played at for a full 90 minutes. Still, he emphasized the need for improvement in managing late-game situations.
“We have to improve for the last 15 minutes. But for sure you cannot play high pressure for 90 minutes, it is impossible. My vision is to have a team that can do that, but it is impossible. Seventy five minutes is good but we have to improve during the last 15 minutes.”
Despite the criticism, Chelle expressed confidence in his team’s trajectory ahead of their final group match against Uganda on Monday.
“I am happy because we won. We improve with every game,” he said. “The first game was good not bad, we won. The second game we improve, but we did some good things and bad things too. So, we have to continue to improve with every game.”
“I have no problem with [the criticism], it gives me lots of motivation,” Chelle said. “My team deserves this victory. We did some mistakes like the first game but we continue to improve.
“I think this game was better than the first, and I hope the third game will be better than the second. I will try to very happy with my players for this victory because we have a tough game in two days and I am very focused on that.”
Nigeria play their final group game against Uganda on Tuesday but will finish as group winners irrespective of the result.
