Super Eagles legend, Austin Jay Jay Okocha has given his own analysis as to what is likely obtainable following the 2023 AFCON draw that saw Nigeria seeded in the same group with host nation Ivory Coast npflupdates.com reports.
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The Super Eagles was seeded in the same Group A where it will take on 2-time African champions and host nation Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
According to Okocha, the Super Eagles have what it takes to go all out and win Nigeria’s fourth title. The former Paris St-Germain midfielder, remained upbeat that the crop of players in the national team brings a good competition amongst players.
What Jay Jay Okocha explained about Super Eagles potential AFCON outing
“Well at the moment, you can say we are looking good, we’ve got exciting players, We’ve got good competition in the team. Because for you to win a tournament like this you need a big squad. At least, two or three good players in each position.
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“And I think at the moment in the striker role we are more than equipped and in midfield, we’ve got good players. [Our] defense has always been challenging for us but I think we’ve got a good mix of experience and young players as well there,” he said to GOAL, and was quoted by Soccernet Nigeria.
Speaking further, the former Hull City’s playmaker, disclosed that the Super Eagles have no reason not to reach the semifinals, a knockout stage it reached last in 2019.
“Even as a player, your target should be to get to the semifinal, and anything can happen from there. You have to give yourself the chance to win a medal, and that’s why you are going to a competition to compete, to come back home with something,” he continued.
Speaking about the challenges coach Jose Peseiro may likely encounter as it concerns player selection, Okocha confessed it’s a good head for the Portuguese tactician.
According to the Olympic gold medalist, it’s better to have more good players in the squad than not enough.
“It’s a good headache for the manager to have. It is better to have more players than not to have enough good players in your squad.
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“So the ball is in court to find the right way to get the best out of the players because we are expecting so much from the team and from the manager in this AFCON. Before we used to say we are still building, we are still looking at players. Now we’ve got more than enough players to go all the way. So the expectations are very high,” he added.
