OPEN LETTER TO Eric Chelle

Dear Eric, I have absolutely no doubts about whether or not this letter will reach you. It will, and when it does, please do NOT toss it aside. Gaffer, please believe me when I say not too many people want you to suceed! I am one of the handful teaming for you—please don't let us down. You are the expert—the man in charge! I am not by any means undermining your ability and capacity, this is just a subtle tip from a well-meaning stakeholder in the Nigerian football space. The following is a template worth considering to stand a chance to qualify, and keep your job on your way to becoming an important part of Nigeria's football history 👇🏽 1 -> Win South Africa "by any margin". They are our toughest opponent and most talented opposition. Any win would do—good, bad or ugly. We must set realistic expectations for this game. 2 -> Win Lesotho 'well' in October by scoring as many goals as possible. It's very possible, albeit away from home. We will NEED the 'goals difference' in the end. 3 -> Win Benin Republic in the last game at home, also "by any margin". We are pretty much the same genetically, it's a derby game, they are managed by a man who knows your team inside-out, they are still very much in the race ... For these factors, any type of win would also be a big deal! Unfortunately, we did not win Rwanda with as many goals, this is why that victory felt like 'dropped points'. For those of us who see the bigger picture, we pray this low-scoring win will not come back to hunt us. Well, that's now in the past. Now going forward Eric, your 'team selection', 'system deployed' and 'in-game mgt' MUST be tailor-made towards achieving the templates (1 to 3) I highlighted above. How to execute template no.1 👇🏽 System -> I have no right to 'teach' you what system to deploy—however, whatever you do Eric, pleeease do NOT play 3 or4 midfielders vs. South Africa! Load that midfield with 5 bodies & 5 pair of legs—and please when I say bodies & legs, I do NOT mean quantity-wise, rather, qualitatively speaking. Why do I recommend 5 players in the midfield? 👇🏽 Bafana Bafana play the most fluid football in the midfield in this group. They can almost find one other with crisp passes with their eyes shut. They are rapid, relentless and athletic. To match their energy levels Joule-for-Joule we MUST reciprocate in kind. How do we reciprocate? 👇🏽 Make the trio of Uche Chrisantus (AM), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (CM), and the fitter option between Onyeka or Onyedika (DM) the nucleus of your midfield of 5. Add any two as you deem fit on either wing and you will have your midfield not only under lock and key, but also capable of quick offensive transitions. One very important keypoint I need to STRESS however is that you should desist from deploying Dele-Bashiru out wide on the right side of the midfield, as doing so portends playing him outside his forte. The Lazio midfielder is athletic NOT creative, strong NOT technical ... athleticism & strength are best deployed in the "middle"—in the tick of the action and not far wide on the touchline which typically requires 'flair and speed' to excel. Play Dele in the core to compliment a sitting midfielder and you will retrieve balls with ease and sustain possession for longer spells. The team with longer spells of possession in the midfield will win the game. Team Selection -> Wilfred Ndidi is NOT the same animal we all knew years ago. He ceased being 'beastful' at least 4-5 years ago. He does still have quite a bit to offer as a result of his immense, undeniable experience, but he can only offer those coming from the bench to 'see games out'. Dear Eric, if you start Ndidi again against South Africa, you would have lost 30% of the midfield battle even before kicking a ball! Second—Moses Simon, like Wilfred Ndidi is NOT a 'starting material'. It doesn't matter if he creates assists for fun and scores in his sleep for Paris FC, this is Nigeria, this is Africa ... it's a different ball game—ask Dessers, he knows! Like Ndidi, Simon will make more impact when the opposition is already worn out. Use him wisely! Third— Rid Alex Iwobi of every combative midfield responsibility. The more freedom he gets closer to the final third, the happier. Now, the question is - 'Which position is Iwobi's forte?' 👇🏽 Unfortunately, it does appear Lookman looks a bit match-rusty as a result of an inactive pre-season. 'IF' that is the case, push Iwobi farther up to play off your top striker— any of Osimhen (if fit enough) OR Tolu. Iwobi thrives like fish in water in & around the box18. He is a fantastic 'short-range passer of the ball' due to his mastery of 'one-touch football'—a skill he must have picked up under Wenger in his teething years at Arsenal. A front two of Tolu & Iwobi, and SA will concede more than one goal! Your 'in-game mgt' -> Have a heart-to-heart convo with your goalie, Nwabali. I have reiterated exhaustively his tendency for complacency. He picked up an avoidable, needless yellow card. Bafana Bafana are watching—they know him even better than the Amavubis. He needs to keep his temperament under check, else, he might fall for their in-game gimmicks at the expense of the entire team. Second, I really do admire your football brain as you are an excellent reader of games as seen in how you have repeatedly (not just in this Rwanda game) made impactful substitutions that turn games around. Again, this was evident in the second half as this further buttressed what I have always said that it's quite unfortunate you did not have the luxury of 'time' to master your team prior to these qualifiers. As a result, you are actually using these crucial games to study, understand & build your squad instead of friendly games, and I dare say you have done exceedingly well. However, a keypoint to note here is to have your physical trainer work on the endurance of your players—they run out of gas quicker than their opponents. They will need full tanks and more in South Africa! Dear Eric, your in-game mgt is indubitably impressive, however, kindly work on your team selection & choice of system on match-days such that they compliment each other. From Soccernittygritty with love.