Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has defended Stanley Nwabali following criticisms that trailed the goalkeeper’s recent performance for the team, reports Completesports.com.
Nwabali, who plays for South African club, Chippa United put up a shambolic display in Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matchday nine encounter against the Crocodiles of Lesotho this month.
The 29-year-old was also involved in a bust-up with some of his teammates in the Super Eagles last outing against neighbours Benin Republic.
Chelle Speaks On Nwabali
Chelle however said he has total confidence in the former Enyimba goalkeeper.
“Nobody know what I ask from my players. Sometimes they make mistakes, which is normal . May be I told Nwabali to be strong. I don’t want a nice guy in my team,” Chelle said in an exclusive interview with Super Eagles legend, Segun Odegbami on Eagle7 103.7FM’s Saturday morning show “90 minutes with Mathematical7”.
“I played with a goalkeeper during my active days, a Serbian goalkeeper. This guy was crazy on the pitch, because he was crazy, we the defenders were also crazy too.
“I want a player with top character, I know that sometimes he needs to relax, the reality is that Stanley gives everything on the pitch for the team, and the country.
“Sometimes he made some mistakes, but is normal, but the reality is that he gives everything on the pitch.
“All the players fight on the pitch, and will continue to give their best. I agree with you that Nwabali needs to be calm at times. The reality now is that we must have a game against Gabon.
“We will bring in the best players, Stanley, may be the other goalkeepers, the best players will be invited for the game.”
Making World Cup Playoffs
The Super Eagles after a poor start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign finally earned a place in the playoffs following a 4-0 win over the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in the last game.
Many has attributed the team’s achievement to luck especially with Eritrea’s withdrawal playing a significant impact.
Chelle however disagreed with the notion insisting that the Super Eagles merited their qualification for the playoffs.
“I will not agree with you that this is about luck because when I took this job with my technical staff, we didn’t come to just sit down, and watch. We came to work and give everything for the team and the country,” declared Chelle.
“This is not about luck, it is about hard work. We did a great job within the 10 months. When you work hard in football, football sometimes give you something in return.
“We are in the playoffs because of our hard work, state of mind of the group, and the philosophy that we put together with the players. I always know we have the chance to qualify for the playoffs.
“This is why most times, I don’t talk much, I’m only focused on the pitch. Most people spoke about the fact that I’m an African. I let the people talk, but my focus always is on the pitch. We make it to the playoffs because we never stop believing.
“We continue to work with same energy, state of mind, and we want to go to the World Cup.”
Getting The Super Eagles Job
Chelle took charge of the three-time African champions in January.
The Malian spoke about how he got the job, and his experience so far in Nigeria.
“They (Nigeria Football Federation ) were looking for a coach, I submitted my CV which contains the project, philosophy, and everything. After that, I had an interview with the technical committee. We spoke about my vision, and the team,” added Chelle
“I was with a club in Algeria, later the NFF called me to inform that I can take the job. I was surprised and happy at the same time. I was very excited, I knew it was going to be difficult because the Super Eagles is one of the best teams in Africa. May be one of the best 10 teams in the world.
“For me it was a great honour, I know the job is very difficult. I have a lot of good feelings, excitement, happy, a little bit scared. But it is normal, it is football. You know the pressure . I’m used to the pressure because since I became a coach 10, 12 years ago I make up my mind to withstand that.
“The most important thing is the state of mind among the technical staff, the vision, the philosophy, and the project.”
Performance In Recent Games
The Super Eagles recorded three wins and one draw in their last three matches.
Chelle reflected on his team’s performance.
“I think the team has improved since I took charge. You know it is difficult because you don’t have time to work. During the FIFA windows you only have two, three training sessions before each game. You also need to focus on one or two style of play,” Chelle stated.
“It’s always difficult to work on how you want to play the game. In the last 10 months we have improved massively.
“We focus on each game, and not an assessment on the number of months in charge. We take each game as they come.
“I think the job is positive. The only disappointment is the CHAN but if you look at the Super Eagles everything has been positive.
“The key thing now is November, we have two key games, and the reality is that the job starts now.”
Transforming The Super Eagles
The Super Eagles are yet to taste defeat under Chelle, and will head into next month’s clash with Gabon in buoyant mood.
“I think football is like that, sometimes you do well, sometimes you have bad games. When you have bad games, you need to change things” Chelle remarked.
“When we started, the players were very focused. You know the last game (against Benin Republic) was difficult. But we all wanted to win, and our state of mind was great, so relaxed. I can’t really explained what happened during the game.
“I have a feeling that the players understood everything I wanted from them. A lot things happened before and during this game. The aircraft, no training session. Despite everything, the only focus was on us.
“It’s a good thing that we have few new players in the team but it is difficult to add more. During these 10 months it has been difficult too. For example, if you bring in an European guy with dual nationality, he will play his first game in Africa, and it is very difficult to play in Africa. You need to do things slowly.
“Sometimes we take a risk but the most important thing is to find the best way, and best time to put these guys. May be we will add one or two players for the game in November, and we will see after.”
On Fredrick And Olusegun
Former Flying Eagles defender, Benjamin Fredrick has made a big impact since making his debut in the Unity Cup final against Jamaica in May.
Chelle spoke about how the young centre-back came into his consciousness.
“During the Unity Cup, because it was not a FIFA window most clubs didn’t want to release our players. I received a lot of messages from people telling me about their players, that they are very good,”said Chelle.
“I watched all the players, and do my analysis. We have a data of about 500 Nigerian players around the world. We followed 80 players per week.
“During the Unity Cup, the president of the NFF called me, and said coach I know that we have problem with some players. He told me there is a player in Brentford, Benjamin Fredrick, and I said okay, I know him.
“I asked if he is here, and he said yes. I told him the player can come and him train with us. During the training session, he was so good. It was as if he has been in the team for two to three years. Because of his performance, I said I would be put him on the pitch, and he did extremely well.
“It was not a question of feeling, it was about his quality. The first week in camp he was a little nervous, but he was ready to play.
“He always arrive for team meeting on time, he is always willing to listen to instruction. When you say something, he is willing to do it. He can play centre-back, he can play right-back. He play as a right-back in his club, Dender . I analysed him well before taking my decision.
“For Olakunle Olusegun, it was the same, when we went to Russia, we had problems with some of the players we invited. He was there at the right time because he plays in Russia.
“Like I did with Benjamin, I put him in the team. I also watched two or three of his games before doing that. His training sessions was good too.
“Against Russia, I gave him like 20 minutes, he did well like he did against Benin. So now, he is in the team, we will see what happen from there.”
On Super Eagles Captaincy
“I never spoke about the captaincy with anyone . For me, my captain is William Troost-Ekong. I’m always in conversation with him. Then I have four to five players that I can have conversation with when I need information about something. We have Moses Simon, Wilfred Ndidi, and Victor Osimhen.
“If I am not happy with the group, I talked to these players. If I want to discuss anything with the players, I asked these guys first, and then take my decision. They are also my captains, but the first is Troost-Ekong. ”
By Adeboye Amosu
