Selection, my major challenge –Keshi

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has admitted that cutting his huge Super Eagles squad to the final 23-man list for the 2014 World Cup would pose a major challenge to him. The former Nigeria captain believes that the problem will not lie in getting truly talented players for Brazil 2014 but being able to get the best of the talents available to the country.

He said of his ambition, “What is upper most in my mind now is to assemble a very strong side and go beyond the second round we have failed to cross. That would be very great. We sincerely want to make a huge mark in Brazil.

“But there’s surely a big challenge achieving that goal. The major headache now is how to select the very best 23 from the long list available to us. We have worked with a lot of players and very many of them are very good. But we will surely achieve that and take our best for every position. We would have loved to take everybody but the maximum list is 23 and there’s nothing we can do about that.”

And in pursuit of getting the best, Keshi said the international friendly matches coming up before the World Cup next June offer good opportunity to test every player and settle for the best. But he warned that while the door will be opened to every Nigerian, he would not accept any player that can divide the team.

“Cutting out those with attitude can’t be a problem. Anybody that can create disaffection in the team will not be called in even if he is the world best player.”

Keshi has used several dozens of players to prosecute the Eagles matches since he took over the Nigerian team in November 2011.

On Wednesday Ikechukwu Uche who has not played for the national side since the African Nations Cup in February signified his intention to make a return to the Eagles. And there are a whole lot of others including the team captain Joseph Yobo.

“I’ll see what I can do here. If I do well at Villarreal, then I’ll have my chances and in the end, it’s up to the national team manager to decide. I’m focused on my daily work and know that I will have options,” Uche told Inside Spanish Football

Keshi has also repeated that Yobo is still a part of the Eagles squad. He added that the defender who has not played for Nigeria since the Africa Nations Cup final could get the remaining games he needs to reach the 100 caps mark. Getting to Brazil will then depend on his performance in any of those friendlies.

Keshi said, “Yobo is still very much a part of this team and this I have always said. We spoke at length before this game (against Ethiopia) and the talk was cordial. He is the team captain and remains so because he is still part of the team.”

PUNCH