I will raise a team that Nigerians will admire –Keshi

The Super Eagles will be playing three matches in June, but considering that June is a long time to know the performance of the players; do you intend to travel to Europe to monitor the players? If I want to take a trip, I will probably want to take a trip to Germany because of […]

The Super Eagles will be playing three matches in June, but considering that June is a long time to know the performance of the players; do you intend to travel to Europe to monitor the players?

If I want to take a trip, I will probably want to take a trip to Germany because of this boy who is playing for Bayern Leverkusen that the Germans are trying to cap. He is one guy I would like to go out and watch because I don’t know him and I have not talked to him.

But I can’t go to England to watch the likes of Taye Taiwo and co. because I have watched them play, so I don’t need that.

But if it is about a new player, yes I will like to do that; I also need to monitor more of my local players here because they need all the support and training for them to attain that level we want.

Have you alerted the NFF of plans by Germany to grab the young man?

My coaches and I were talking about him and one journalist called and told me about him, but I am yet to talk to the FA but I will and see what we can do.

Chris Green also called me a few days ago and told me about him, but I said if you give me information about him and contact, I will contact him and will take it from there.

You said you want to discover more players in Europe, and I think you are looking at some positions, what are these positions?

Yes, exactly, but I didn’t say I want to go to Europe, but what I said was that I am building and we have players but I don’t have a team yet and this is one thing I want you guys to let Nigerians know; they should know that we don’t have a team yet and we are still building.

I am picking, if you are good I keep you, but if you are not good, I tell you to go, that is what I am doing, and for a period of time I will start working on the chemistry of the players, and then I start saying we have a team.

You just came back from Rwanda with a draw and Nigerians look up to the return leg as a must win game, what are your preparations for the match?

Yes, we want to win every game and this particular one is a must win for us, but before that game we have two games against Namibia and Malawi that are must win as well while the Rwanda game is the third in June, and we have to start thinking of the games before the third one.

So, when the time for the Rwanda games comes, ask me the question and I will reply you. What we are doing now is how to beat Namibia and Malawi and how to get information about these people.

When are the two matches coming up?

Namibia is June 3, while 7 or 8 is for the match against Malawi in Malawi, then we will come back and play Rwanda.

You said something about getting information about the teams, what do you mean?

Some journalists from Malawi called me because they are playing against Rwanda on June 3 and wanted to get information about their strong and weak points so that they will relay it to their coach, and that is the kind of support I am looking for from you guys because all of us want Nigeria to do better.

But is the FA not expected to do that for you?

Yes, the FA is supposed to do that for me but you as Nigerian journalists, what is your contribution? That is what I am saying because we are on the same page, we want Nigeria to move ahead and be a better team.

Will that affect your team, if you don’t have any information about the teams?

Not really, because the most important thing is to see my team play the way I want it to play but sometimes, it is good to have a few ideas on how the players are playing individually and collectively and also know the kind of pattern they are playing, though games do change.

For example, I watched the Rwanda tape before we played them, but seven of the players were not playing, so it is not necessary you have to watch the tape, but it is good to have an idea of how they play, which is good.

The Nigerian boy playing in Bayern Leverkusen, is he a defender?

He plays forward in the midfield. I don’t want to bring in anyhow player; I want to bring in a player that will contribute because we need a solid team. We need a 22-man team that Nigerians will be happy that this is the team we want.

We need to revive the Nigerian spirit in our national team, that resilient spirit that is no longer in our team has to come back and it has to come back through the best players. It will come back by God’s grace.

After the match against Rwanda, there were conflicting figures as to how many foreign-based players will make the return leg in Abuja, I want to know from you, how many foreign-based will be here for the return leg against Rwanda?

Like I said earlier, we have a lot of players out there and there are a lot of the players I have not seeing, so I am giving opportunities to other players to play and showcase what they can do.

I need those who can give Nigeria 110 percent; I don’t want to play with names because names can’t give me what I want. I want those who will know that this is my country and I want to defend the colour.

So, I will have to extend invitation to some players who will come to the national team and bring the right attitude and right mentality.

How are you going about it, is it rotational or those who came for the Rwanda game will come back?

Some will come, some will not come, and we have to bring some new ones.