Dosu Joseph defends Eric Chelle’s tactical decisions against Zimbabwe
Former Nigerian international and Atlanta 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Dosu Joseph, has urged Nigerians to refrain from early criticism of Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, following the team's 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Nigeriasoccernet.com gathered.
The match played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, saw Nigeria drop vital points, sparking debate over Chelle’s tactical choices—particularly positional changes for key players. However, Dosu believes it's premature to fault the coach’s approach.
“I don’t think it will be fair to start criticizing Eric Chelle’s tactics against Zimbabwe. He is the head coach, and he knows what is best for him to get a good result,” he told Completesports.com.
Dosu acknowledged the disappointment surrounding the result but stressed that had Nigeria won the match, Chelle would have received praise for the same tactical decisions.
“Fine, the result didn’t go as expected, but then, Nigerians would have sung his praises if the team had won too,” he added.
Looking ahead, the former goalkeeper expressed confidence that the experience will serve as a learning curve for Chelle.
“Whatever the case may be, I believe he would have learned one or two things ahead of other subsequent matches. We can only support him to qualify the Super Eagles to the 2026 World Cup.”
The Super Eagles remain in a tense battle for qualification in their group, and all eyes will be on Chelle’s next moves as the campaign continues.
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