‘New Super Eagles played like old team mates’
Super Eagles Coach, Eric Chelle, has described the two-goal hero in Nigeria’s 2-0 defeat of Zimbabwe in the opening game of the ongoing Unity Cup in London, Femi Azeez, as a bright prospect who will make a long career in the national team if he remains focused on improving his game.
  
Speaking after the game held at Charlton FC’s The Valley Stadium, London, Chelle was cautious in praising the Millwall winger, saying that the star, who is on many clubs’ radar following a sterling performance in the English Championship last season, still has a lot to improve in his game.
 
Speaking about the general performance of his team. Chelle said: “The first objective was that they were supposed to run a lot today. It was my first objective, and this is what I asked them.
   
“The second thing was to make high pressure, and during ninety minutes they did not.”
 
He praised Azeez’s performance in the game, saying: “So, we have to analyse the performance of Azeez particularly. Also, he scored two goals, congratulations. But technically, he lost a lot of balls, so I’m not happy. He got many balls back, but sometimes he didn’t get the balls, so I’m not happy.”
 
Despite the flaws, Chelle said Azeez would likely be included in the main team ahead of the international friendlies against Portugal and Poland in June.
 
“If I wake up with a good state of mind, and I want him in the team for the Portugal and Poland games, I’ll say yes, but if I don’t want him, I will say no,” Chelle said.
 
Following the London-born Azeez’s performance against Zimbabwe, some pundits are already looking for an impressive battle between the Millwall man and Samuel Chukwueze, who currently plays in the Super Eagles’ right wing.
 
Since Ahmed Musa retired from the national team, no player has been able to nail down the right wing, as Chukwueze and Nathan Tella, among others, have occupied the position at various times.
 
At the last Nations Cup in Morocco, Chelle preferred a three-man attack featuring Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams, with Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka in the midfield.
 
Azeez’s arrival presents a new vista for the coach to tweak his attack depending on the opponents.
 
Apart from Azeez, Chelle was also impressed by how quickly the players adapted to each other, saying that they played as if they had been working together for a long time.
 
New players, Arthur Okonkwo, Chibueze Oputa, Obinna Igboke and Femi Azeez started the game, while Rafiu Durosinmi, Tosin Oyedokun, Owen Oseni and Aderemi Adeoye were second-half substitutes.
  
“This game was good. The players worked a lot during the two days, two training sessions of three hours each, so they worked a lot and deserved this victory,” he said.
  
Explaining his approach to the match, he said: “We played with two systems in that game, 4-4-2 diamond and 4-2-3-1. I was happy because they played well. I was surprised because it seemed as though they had been playing together for six months or one year. The reality is that it was the first time. At the end of the first half, there was nothing to say.”