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By: Abiodun Adewale.
Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has insisted he won’t change his roster for the last game of the 2023 AFCON qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe in September despite having booked their ticket with a game to spare, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
This is in the wake of insinuations that the Portuguese coach should call up home-based players to prosecute the game.
In his post-match interview after the 3-2 win over Sierra Leone in Liberia on Sunday, Peseiro maintained that disrupting the roster for new faces in the team will affect the progress of the squad as attention is already shifting towards their preparations for the AFCON in Ivory Coast next year.
“We have one national team and there is time that we can work to improve the team, if I change the team all the time, I will never be able to improve our organisation,” Peseiro said.
“One team has one year to build and we only have the players around for a few days. I can refresh the team but, at this moment, I must not only choose players for the match but for the future.
“Against Sao Tome, of course, we have to create more dynamics and organisation. If I change, how can I improve the team for AFCON? However, the door of the Super Eagles is open for everybody,” he added.
The Portuguese coach also expressed confidence in his team, despite holding their nerves to qualify for Ivory Coast 2023 in the group.
“Our team is the best in this group, I think we did a fantastic job against a good team. I am happy with the players because it was not easy to win a game that was almost drawn in that kind of atmosphere. After 2-2, we fought again and scored a goal that put us where we should be in the group.
“In football you never can tell, when Guinea-Bissau came to Abuja, we could have beaten them at least 5-0, but they beat us 1-0. That can only happen in football.
“I have a good squad, now we have qualified for the AFCON, now is the time for the country and the NFF to give the best conditions for our players,” he said.
Peseiro, who took over the Eagles job last May,is reportedly out of contract with the Nigeria Football Federation and it remains to be seen if his contract will be extended.