Eagles must be wary of ‘desperate’ Chipolopolo – Nwosu

Former Golden Eaglets coach, Henry Nwosu (MON) has called on the Super Eagles players and the coaching crew to be wary of the threat by Chipolopolo of Zambia, ahead of their World Cup qualifying game slated for the prestigious Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, on October 7.
Speaking to The Point ahead of the cracker, the former Super Eagles attacking midfielder and former member of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winning Green Eagles squad, said the match against the Copper Bullets of Zambia is a must-win for Nigeria for the country to be sure of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup holding in Russia.
He affirmed that a win for the Super Eagles would cement Nigeria’s spot at next year’s Mundial, but cautioned the team against being complacent.
“Frankly, looking at the current form of the Super Eagles and the pedigree of Nigerian players at home and abroad, I think we will not have any problem beating Zambia in Uyo on October 7, unless the players decide to be complacent with the game.
“Remember, Nigeria currently have 10 points in the Group B of the World Cup qualifiers, while Zambia who are goaded by their back-to-back wins against Algeria have 7 points. However, if the unexpected happens and Zambia runs away in Uyo with a win, then Nigeria will be at par with them on 10 points, which is not good since in the last qualifying games, Nigeria will be playing away against Algeria, while Zambia will be at home against Cameroon.
“Therefore, Coach Gernot Rohr and the entire Super Eagles squad must come out smoking, red hot and win this game to cement our qualification for Russia 2019,” Nwosu said.
Speaking further on the possibility of Chipolopolo pulling a shocking win against the highly rated Super Eagles, Nwosu stressed that Nigeria has enough experienced players to crush the desperate Zambians, but he added that this may not come on a platter of gold.
“Victory in a round leather game does not come on a platter of gold! Thus, Eagles must work hard to achieve victory against Chipolopolo, because we have quality and well tested foreign-based players who can prosecute and win the game for the country. Players like Odion Ighalo, Kelechi Iheanacho, Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa and others, are top class players that cannot be wished away with a mere wave of hand.
“It is also true that the Zambians are already talking tough with their captain, Kennedy Mweene, being at the fore-front of it all; but look at their squad and you will see that they have mainly home-based players and a few players from their U-20 team, which I feel may not be good enough to beat the established stars in the Super Eagles.
“We defeated them in Zambia in the first leg and I see no reason we cannot beat them in Uyo. Chipolopolo are down but desperate to swing surprises, which I feel the Eagles must be wary of, by doing everything to cage them in the make or burst encounter.
“If I’m to advise, I will tell Rohr not to change a winning team. The Super Eagles squad that trounced Cameroon 4-0 in Uyo and were held to 1-1 draw in Yaoundé can still be used because, that team is the best option for us now. However, not withstanding dying minute injuries, the same line-up is good enough to shock mouthy Zambians,” he added.
Reacting to Mikel Obi’s recent assertion that his wife, relatives and friends would ‘kill’ him if Eagles fail to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup, Nwosu said, “I don’t know why Mikel should be saying that; I feel he should remain positive and optimistic about beating Chipolopolo of Zambia in Uyo, instead of attracting more pressure to himself and the entire Super Eagles team.
“For the Super Eagles to excel on that match-day, all the players must be committed to winning, because I feel the Zambians should be more under pressure. They have never been to the World Cup before since the history of their country and this is the nearest they have come in recent time to breaking that jinx, which our players must not allow to happen. Russia 2018 will be Nigeria’s 6th appearance, which confirms our pedigree in the round-leather game, and beating Zambia in Uyo is the perfect opportunity to book our ticket to the biggest football event in the world,” Nwosu concluded.