Former Nigerian international Waidi Akanni said it would be hard to stick one’s neck out for the Super Eagles at the African Cup of Nations which begins next week in Cote d’ Ivoire.
He submitted that the team is incomplete and it is unimaginable how the Super Eagles rated sixth on the continent can cope with the likes of Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Algeria, and hosts Cote d’ Ivoire.
“My expectations are the same whenever the Super Eagles play; they have become very unreliable. So, I won’t expect much from them because I don’t want to be disappointed,” said Akanni
“Winning AFCON will be a miracle for Nigeria. It would be presumptuous of me to expect Super Eagles to come out tops at the championship.
“One of the elements of a team is predictability; I can’t predict them because I don’t know their pedigree.
“I believe I’m not the only one that feels this way about the team; a lot needs to be worked on in the midfield, defence, and goalkeeping departments of the team.
Akanni, a member of the bronze medal-winning U-20 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship team, said the team’s handlers should have included some home-based players.
“It has always been the same for AFCON with African countries because of the European season. It’s difficult to get a full house of players as a group till about a week before AFCON.
“I think the coaches should have given some home-based players the opportunity to compete for some positions, not only goalkeepers.
“The final list is predictable as we had all the former players both fit and unfit in the 41-man list.”
Waidi Akanni and Austin Jay Jay Okocha