Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has outlined his expectations from the newly invited Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) players ahead of Nigeria’s Unity Cup campaign in London.
Speaking during Monday’s pre-match press conference, the former Mali national team coach said the competition offers both home-based and foreign-based players an opportunity to prove themselves and fit into the vision of the national team.
“Like I said, we have a vision for this national team,” Chelle stated. “Some of the new players are ready and motivated. The players of the NPFL and the players from the European leagues have the chance to enter the team.”
The Franco-Malian tactician stressed that mentality and commitment would be key factors for the invited players during the tournament.
“When you play a game like this, the first thing is the attitude and the state of mind,” he continued. “They have to show us first their state of mind. The most important thing for them is the mentality.”
Chelle also noted that mistakes are part of football, but what matters most is the reaction of players after making errors on the pitch.
“When you play football, you make some mistakes. This is not the question about the mistakes. This is the question of what you can do after the mistakes,” he said.
“The only pressure that they can have is to fight for every ball. It is to run, run and run.”
Nigeria will take on Zimbabwe in the semi-final of the Unity Cup on Tuesday in London as Chelle continues preparations for upcoming international assignments with the Super Eagles.
 players ahead of Nigeria’s Unity Cup campaign in London.){kind=link}