Former Super Eagles defender, George Abbey, has told Completesports.com that he lives in hope rather than expectation as regards Nigeria’s chances of winning the AFCON title for the fourth time at Cote d’Ivoire 2023 which starts on January 13 and ends on February 11, 2024.
Abbey reasons that recent results and the way Super Eagles play do not give him the confidence of a team capable of winning the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire but being a Nigerian, he only hopes that the team wins it.
According to the former Sharks FC of Port Harcourt and Macclesfield of England defender, this is one AFCON that the Super Eagles will attend without a real contender tag.
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Abbey insists that current Nigeria’s senior men’s football team has lost that fear factor that used to make it the favourites at every previous AFCON tournament.
“Building up to this AFCON, the Super Eagles’ performances in recent matches don’t give one the confidence of a team going to win the trophy but being Nigerians, we are hopeful we can win it for the fourth time. I will be happy if we win, but I am not optimistic they will win,” Abbey told Completesports.com.
“I think when those of us Nigerian fans speak, we speak with hope rather than expectation. The same way Manchester United fans feel they must win because they are Manchester United, the same way Nigerian fans feel. After all, we are Super Eagles – we must win. We are not realistic that recent results suggest otherwise.
“We don’t look at the resume of the coach, his background, what is the hope and confidence of the team. Every team goes into the tournament thinking they can win the cup and what it takes is to go there win one or two matches or win one and draw two, you are in round two, then with luck, you are in the semi-finals and confidence level increases and you are a potential champion.
“The same way people are saying we don’t trust this our goalkeeper, he might just go there and become the goalkeeper of the tournament. That is how rapidly things can change in today’s football. Uzoho has been underwhelming in recent matches, but do we have a better choice?
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“Our defence is of real concern to me because we are not keeping clean sheets, we are not solid enough at the back. I hope the coaching crew can find a way to make us more solid at the back. I am confident we can create chances upfront and get the goals we need to win games.
Abbey added: “Can we win AFCON 2023? If you ask me, I will say yes we can, hopefully. I am not expecting us to win this AFCON. I hope we win because we are all Nigerian fans – we want our country to do well. We have the quality up front scoring goals but the question is can we stop them on the other end? If we can find that solution then we have every chance to go all the way and win the cup.”
Abbey, a 2004 AFCON bronze medalist also tips Senegal as the hot favourites to win the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire because of the quality the Teranga Lions have.
“Senegal and host Cote d’Ivoire have the quality and support to win the AFCON. The Teranga Lions have players in top clubs all over the world and they have coaching stability to retain the cup they won in Cameroon in 2021. Cote d’Ivoire as host also has quality players and massive home support. Egypt would have been a contender but the over-reliance on Mo Salah will not help their course. I don’t see Morocco and Algeria winning the AFCON 2023,” George concluded.
The Super Eagles kick off their AFCON 2023 journey, with Group A matchday-one action against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, January 14 at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, Abidjan. Following this, a showdown with host nation Cote d’Ivoire awaits on Thursday, January 18, and they’ll wrap up the group stage against Guinea-Bissau on Monday, January 22 at Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, also in Abidjan.
By Richard Jideaka, Abuja.
8 Comments
Genuine and true state of things with the present eagles, unless if something change has happen to the technical ability of Peseiro, I don’t see eagle winning this afcon. Just disable their wingers and occupy their midfield, that is all, any team with this approach can beat eagles anyway anytime.
Bros, if you disable the wings and occupy the midfield of any team, won’t they struggle? Do you not understand that to disable the wings means you are placing a minimum of 2 players on each winger when they have the ball. That means there is space in the midfield to exploit. Football is all about creating or exploiting space to hurt the opponent.
Yout Eguavoen was tactically inflexible , hence why he had not answers to Tunisia’s tactics of doubling up on our wingers. Is peseiro tactically sound? Personally I do not think so but he seems to be taking this afcon really serious, so let us see. There are news coming out from the camp that he is trying out the famous 4-3-3.
Golden Child,
Peseiro’s second preferred formation is 4-3-3 which was used in a recent Super Eagles match.
Even Eguavoen utilised 4-1-4-1 as his rescue formation. So both coaches aren’t as rigid as you think.
Personally, it will be interesting to see Peseiro use his favoured 4-4-2/4-2-4 formation in the tournament. I think he has used it enough times to have identified its weaknesses. Once tweaked, who knows, we might see Nigeria score plentiful goals.
@ Brodaman Deo. You know what, Peseiro don’t use a particular formation in a game; wether 424 or 433 or 442. What he is trying to do, which maybe the players are yet to get, is hybrid formation.
An hybrid, where 424 suddenly becomes 3124, 3133 attacking etc or 531 451 etc defending. This type of coaching selects players that are very very quick to react, fit and mobile, reason some players however good they seem, failed to get invited. I honestly don’t know where people get that information from, that Peseiro only plays 442 or 424.
Yeah when game starts he may set up his team in a 424 or 442 just to deceive but the instruction will always be to adapt to a different one when defending and attacking. BUT IN THE INSTRUCTIONS / PLAYERS UNDERSTANDING IS WHERE I SUSPECT, THE CONFUSION MIGHT HAVE BEING, AS EVERYTIME YOU GET TO LISTEN TO PESEIRO, ITS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO MAKE OUT SOMETHING FROM HIS USE OF WORDS . BUT WHEN YOU WATCH WHAT SE is trying to play, it’s becomes really clear they are trying to use the hybrid formation.
Thanks Glory,
I see your point here.
Abbey is right I’m also hopeful but not expecting because of the Coach as always.
We don’t look at the resume of the coach, his background, and what the hope and confidence of the team are. Every team goes into the tournament thinking they can win the cup and what it takes is to go there win one or two matches or win one and draw two, you are in round two, then with luck, you are in the semi-finals and confidence level increases and you are a potential champion.
I can’t imagine what Amaju Pinnick will be thinking if he’s reading this from Abbey Gorge. ”
If Nigeria is like somewhere else abroad, Amaju Pinnick would have been arrested for his deeds.
On what criteria did he choose to hire the current Super Eagles coach?
Why is EFCC silent on Amaju Pinnick issues?
Nigeria may be disgraced in Ivory Coast.
Amaju is enjoying his life now, leaving Nigerians in this situation while he has left an NFF account empty.
Before he left his office, all the national team failed to fly.
He hired two coaches during his tenure, and they failed woefully. These people have failed Nigeria, and they must be punished for what they have done to the Nigerians period.
Now, everybody is talking without mentioning Amaju Pinnick name. Why are we like this in this country kę.
We like to talk too much but no action. What is the root cause of the Super Eagles problem and who started it, and what is the law saying when things happen like this?
They have finished Nigeria under our watch. Enough of this talk bla bla bla bla bla. We should stop eating around the bush.
EFCC should do their work. Amaju Pinnick and those involved in this must be questioned and asked to pay back the money they have looted.
This is so embarrassing and disheartening. NFF must be probed. So, the poor will be punished when stealing bread, but the rich will go free when they steal huge amounts of dollars. There is God. Nigerians wake up. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Im so optimist but for Super Eagles to win this next FCON. Cup , but I pesmmistic of style and Peseiro tactics of play for SE , I think Peseiro must change his mine in style of play which perform it for SE ; vertical style of playing is not suitable for SE players , he must perform or put Nigeria classic style of play for SE just like playing with quick short passes, play total football , play in depth of attacking midfield, play pressing and strong defesive style in midfield and center defence as vetern coach Stephen Keshi was playing and 94 generation were playing with it, so Peseiro must change to SE classic style of playing which the SE players habituate it.