Zimbabwe Coach Shares Plans for Super Eagles After Appointment of Eric Chelle
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria will restart their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers campaign in March 2025
- Eric Chelle will officially begin his reign as the new manager with games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe's head coach, Michael Nees, has disclosed his plan for the Super Eagles ahead of the qualifier match
Eric Chelle will officially manage his first match as Super Eagles boss in March, and one of his opponents has already disclosed that he has a plan for him and his team.
Chelle was appointed as the new Super Eagles coach last week, and despite widespread criticism from Nigerian football fans and ex-players, the NFF went ahead with his unveiling.
Source: Twitter
As noted by nff.com, the former Malian national team coach was tasked with the responsibility of turning around the Nigerian national team's fortunes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria are drawn in the same group as Benin Republic, South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, and the Eagles have surprisingly started poorly.
Nigeria are fifth in a group of six teams, with three points from their opening four games, one point above Zimbabwe in sixth, having played a draw against the Warriors in Harare in November 2023.
Michael Nees shares plan for Nigeria
Nigeria will travel to the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali to face the Amavubi before returning to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium to host Zimbabwe in March.
Zimbabwe's head coach, Michael Nees has a plan on how to face the three-time African champions, and he disclosed it during an interview with CAF Online.
“We must take it step by step. It is dangerous to be thinking of the second step ahead of the first,” he said. “We have seen that Benin are a very strong team. There's no doubt about that. We are in no position to think about the opponent after Benin.
“We have a challenge, and we take it step by step and match by match, and actually, we must take it training to training, day by day. I think we’ll be well advised to approach it that way because there's so many variables in football.”
“In our group, Nigeria is a wounded lion and, therefore, very dangerous. Their potential is definitely much better than their current position in the group. When you look at the players in Africa, they are definitely one of the top teams,” he added.
Nees, like Chelle, did not manage the first four qualifier games for Zimbabwe; he took over the team at the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and helped the team clinch a spot at the tournament in Morocco.
The Super Eagles missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after losing to Ghana in the playoffs, while Zimbabwe have never qualified for the Mundial.
Chelle vows to silence his critics
Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle vowed to silence his critics with the Malian coach facing staunch criticisms from Nigerians after his appointment as Super Eagles coach.
The 47-year-old Ivorian-born manager admits it is expected to be under pressure, but the results will speak for him and his team, reminding Nigerians that he is the head coach.
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Source: Legit.ng
