Guardian

FORMER Head Coach of the Kenyan senior national football team, the Harambee Stars, Christian Chukwu, has warned of dire consequences should the Super Eagles still bask in the euphoria of their victory when they confront the Kenyans in the second leg of the 2014 World Cup qualifier.

He has also urged handlers of the team to use the forthcoming Confederations Cup as preparations for the World Cup qualifiers rather than treat it with kid gloves.

Chukwu, who also coached the Eagles, in an interview with The Guardian said, “In the first leg of the World Cup qualifier against Kenya in Calabar, Cross River State, what really pulled us back was the fact that we were over celebrating the victory we in South Africa. That affected our performance, because we sort of lost concentration, focus and the needed seriousness.”

On what kind of encounter he sees of the match against the Kenyans, he said, “I see a very tough game because getting a draw in Nigeria has given them a very big morale boost. So we should not underrate them the way we did in Calabar. If we do, we may pay dearly for that.

“However, I know that we have an edge over them because of the experienced and more exposed players that we have. This is where we have a big advantage over them and I believe that if we capitalise on that advantage, we would overcome them in Kenya. But in terms of fitness, stamina and the rest, the Eagles should be ready for the Kenyans, who are very athletic,” the Rangers of Enugu legend stated.

Reacting to Coach Stephen Keshi’s comment that qualifying for the World Cup was more important to him than the Confederations Cup, Chukwu said, “the two exercises were important, but the World Cup qualifier is more important to us because as African champions, we need to be at the World. But if I were to be in his shoes, I would focus on the Confederation Cup as part of preparations for the World Cup qualifier."

According to Keshi, too many distractions, outside influence and home-based players not being fit, were part of the reasons that the team did not fly high in Calabar. But Chukwu said, “I would not know the type of distractions he is talking about because when I was there, I never allowed any form of distractions to crop into my work because they cause you to loose focus easily.

“On the claims that home-based players were not fit going into the match, I would say he is the coach and it is his job to make the players fit going into a match by drawing up appropriate programmes for them.”