Eric Chelle officially became the first non-Nigerian coach from Africa to manage the Super Eagles on Friday.
The Malian took charge of his first game – a 2-0 win in Rwanda in a 2026 World Cup qualifying fixture.
Chelle was appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, on January 7 as permanent replacement for Finidi George and took over from the interim, Augustine Eguavoen.
Since then, he has spent three months travelling around Nigeria, watching domestic league matches, and communicating with his Europe-based players.
But his first team sheet was still confusing.
Chelle picked a heavily attacking line-up in Kigali, that seemed imbalanced on paper.
Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon all started in attack, while Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi manned the midfield.
“Well, I had two feelings. First, knowing that Eric Chelle managed Mali with a 4-3-1-2 set-up, I was very surprised with the team selection,” Ope Adebari, a sports analyst, reporter and producer with News Central tells Media Talk Africa.
“However, it is well known that some of our best players are wingers, so them playing is inevitable.
“Nevertheless, I did not agree with the team selection or formation as it has been tried in the past under Jose Peseiro and it did not work.”
That 4-3-1-2 at times morphed into a 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 formation depending on the state of play.
Although the Eagles showed their unfamiliarity with Chelle’s new ideas, they managed to outplay their hosts and go two goals up in the first, thanks to the in-form Victor Osimhen.
“This is the best I have seen this current squad play in a while,” Adebari admitted.
“It is clear that the players tried their best to execute the tactics of the manager while making sure that they secured the vital three points needed.”
One of the tasks Chelle has been saddled with, is to dig Nigeria out of the 2026 World Cup qualifying hole they find themselves in.
After four games and two coaches, the three-time African champions had recorded three draws and one loss, sitting in fifth spot in Group C.
“Mathematically, it is safe to say that the World Cup qualification is back on track,” Adebari said.
“Also, judging by the team spirit shown by the Super Eagles, it is clear that the boys are motivated to secure a ticket to be at the 2026 World Cup.”
This victory took them one position up into fourth, ahead of Tuesday’s home fixture against Zimbabwe.
Although the early signs were good, Chelle still has a lot of work to do with the squad, as he continues to mould them in his image.
“I’m sure he saw how flat and non-existent the midfield looked many times before the introduction of Raphael Onyedika.
“Also, Samuel Chukwueze clearly could not make an impact with the new role he was given.
“I believe Eric Chelle knows that we need to improve in the midfield aspect if we want to win convincingly against Zimbabwe and any other opponent going forward,” Adebari added.
