Julius Aghahowa Highlights Two Key Areas Eric Chelle Must Focus on to Improve Super Eagles

Former Super Eagles striker Julius Aghahowa has pointed out two key areas that new coach must focus on to improve Nigeria’s national team.

The Nigeria Football Federation recently appointed French-born Malian coach Eric Chelle to lead the Super Eagles. While some people have questioned the appointment, Aghahowa believes Chelle has the potential to bring success back to the team.

Aghahowa says the Super Eagles have a lot of talent, but they struggle with poor work rates and a weak mentality, which he believes Chelle must address quickly.

“Hopefully, he’ll bring in a different kind of mentality,” Aghahowa told Brila FM. “We don’t have a talent problem. I would like to see how he impacts the team’s work rate and mentality.”

Aghahowa added that Nigeria’s problem has often been the players’ mentality when they come from their clubs to play for the national team.

This mental weakness has been clear in recent games. In 2024, Nigeria lost several matches despite taking early leads. They scored first against Côte d’Ivoire in the AFCON final in February, Benin in a World Cup qualifier in June, and Rwanda in an AFCON qualifier in November, but ended up losing all three.

Even though the Super Eagles have qualified for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, they are at risk of missing the 2026 World Cup. After failing to win any of their first four qualifiers, Nigeria is behind Rwanda, South Africa, Lesotho, and Benin in the qualification race.

Chelle, who was recently fired as Mali’s head coach after a poor start in their World Cup qualifiers, now faces the tough challenge of improving Nigeria’s fortunes.

The 47-year-old will lead the team in the remaining qualifiers, with crucial matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March. Winning both games is important for Nigeria to keep their World Cup hopes alive.