Former Super Eagles Goalkeepers’ Trainer, Ike Shorunmu, has warned Nigerians against weighing down the national team psychologically before the 2018 World Cup Group B qualifiers. Shorunmu believes that overhyping Super Eagles’ opponents, Zambia, Algeria and Cameroun, could work create panic in the team during the campaign.

The Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup star believes the Nigerian team has the wherewithal to qualify for the championship, adding, however, that the young team needs psychological boost to confront their opponents.

He urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to start early preparations for the team, saying much work still needed to be put in place to revamp the Eagles.

According to Shorunmu, in modern day African football, what determines the success of a team is the ability to select the best players and blending them together before the qualifiers.

He wondered why some people were writing off the Super Eagles before the qualifiers, stressing that the success of any team in the group depends on the level of commitment and technical competence displayed during every encounter.

Shorunmu also argued that the Eagles past record in African football was also capable of intimidating their opponents.

“I don’t understand why some Nigerians are writing off the Eagles before the World Cup qualifiers. In modern day football, the success of any team depends on the current form of the country in the championship. The Eagles have chances of getting the World Cup ticket if they prepare well and get the best technical assistance to approach every game.

“All the teams in the group are beatable. The dream of every player is to play in the World Cup and I am sure any player invited to the Eagles will be ready to give his best,” he said.

Shorunmu added: “In the ongoing Euro Championship, who believed that Iceland will defeat England. Football is all about current form of a team. We should not comment on any team yet till we see what they have to offer when the qualifiers begin. This will give a clear picture of the team likely to qualify from the group.”