I know how to manage pressure from 200 million Nigerians – Peseiro

Super Eagles coach, José Peseiro, whose contract with the NFF expired on Thursday, in this interview with Goal.com talks about the pressure of managing Nigeria’s national team, his experience at the last Africa Cup of Nations, his relationship with Africa and his future with the team

First of all, how are you? Were you able to rest a little after the African Cup of Nations?InformationGuideNigeria

Yes, I rested and I am still resting. My contract ends in two days. The AFCON was an exhausting tournament, I must admit. We did a good job, me, the staff and the players. There was a lot of energy expended.

It was an AFCON with a lot of strong emotions. How did you experience this competition on a personal level?

It was a fantastic experience. It was my first AFCON. Some of my colleagues told me that it is different from other tournaments. The context changes. And I felt it. It was full of emotions. The public’s enthusiasm is unique. There was also some great competition. All the teams and players gave their all for their country. And African football was able to display all that it has in qualities. There was also a lot of pressure on the teams, not just from their fans but from their countries as well.

And what differentiates the AFCON from other tournaments you have played like the Copa America (with Venezuela) or the Asian Cup (with Saudi Arabia).

In terms of atmosphere, it is incomparable. Already, with Venezuela, there was none at all because we were playing during the Covid period. The stadiums were empty. In Asia, it’s different. I believe that here in Africa, there is greater proximity with the supporters or even the media. Which makes it more alive. But that also means there’s more pressure. And when it comes to the football produced, it’s different too, that’s for sure. The level of commitment and standards are different. This can be seen in particular with matches that are more open. Even teams that are less technically well equipped manage to provide beautiful football through the enthusiasm and commitment they offer. And then, it must be said that there are very good players in Africa. 90 per cent of them play in Europe, in very good championships. And the Europeans may be pretending not to be interested in this tournament, but I can tell you that they all have their eyes on it.NYSC Portal

You reached the final with Nigeria. Did you think you could get this far before the tournament?

From the first day when the president of the federation called on me and I took a look at this team and the matches they played, I told everyone that I want to win the next AFCON because I was certain that we could do it. I believed it, my staff believed it, my players too, but not the people outside. And I’m happy because we did a fantastic job reaching the final. It has been shown that Nigeria still belongs to the best nations on the continent. And who wants to fight for trophies. On the other hand, I’m also sad because we lost.

Precisely, the feeling which predominates between satisfaction, pride and frustration in relation to the fact of not having won, which is it?

After the final, I was definitely sad. Because we are competitors and as soon as I took charge of this team, I wanted to win this tournament. We wanted to win it. During my first meeting with the players, which I did in the United States for my first match, I told them during my presentation that I came here to win the next AFCON. And since we didn’t manage to do it, I can’t be happy. But on the other hand, when I saw the way the Nigerian people and government welcomed us when we returned to Abuja after the AFCON, I could only be proud of what we achieved. People were satisfied and they thanked us. Everyone in the streets, and even the media, made us understand that they were happy with us. And that’s a good feeling. They saw our matches and they know what we did. We fought until the end and against the very big selections. We were not favorites at the start, unlike Ivory Coast or Senegal. And teams like Egypt, Algeria, Ghana and Cameroon, with very rich squads, came out quite early. We reached the final. So I am satisfied. But the satisfaction is not complete because we wanted to win.JAMB Result

What did you lack to win the competition?

There are two things. First there is the fact that Ivory Coast reached the final of the competition having avoided the worst each time. They were almost eliminated three times. In the final, they were more liberated. They weren’t under as much pressure as at the start of the competition. Second thing, I think the energy there was that day in the stadium touched us. If I had to rate our performance, it was perhaps our worst game. In previous matches, we have always been in control and we have created a lot of opportunities. But in this match, even at 1-0 for us, we were feverish. The atmosphere penalised my players. We didn’t have the same abilities. There were too many lost balls. If I had to analyse, I would say that two or three of my players played at their true level. They wanted to do their best, but they couldn’t.

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How to explain this nervousness?

I’m sure if another final was played a week later, we would have won it. Because many players have never had the experience of a AFCON final. 14 of our players have never played in a AFCON final phase. While the Ivorians had experienced players. We tried to play down the event, trying to forget the pressure and the responsibilities that weighed on our shoulders, but it wasn’t enough. Yes, the final is about winning and we must seize this opportunity. But we still felt nervous, including in the semi-final against South Africa. Once again, the atmosphere made the environment not conducive to a great performance from us. And it’s also my responsibility, I should have made sure that they were more liberated. And I am still very happy with them and very proud. They did a great job. And no one can blame them. This new final will perhaps take place next year in Morocco.JAMB Portal

How did you manage to transform a selection that was in difficulty before the competition into a team that was almost an African champion? What was the method?

The matches before the tournament were used to help the team progress. And despite this, we only lost to Guinea at home. And during a match where we created a lot of opportunities. In qualifying for the World Cup, it’s true that it wasn’t good. Against Lesotho, it was the same thing, we dominated a lot and they scored on one of their only two shots of the match. Against Zimbabwe, the conditions were bad. Many parameters impacted our performance there. Then, in our preparation for this tournament, I chose a different way to play. With my staff, we realized that we were playing offensively in our 4-4-2 system, that we were creating a lot of chances but that we were conceding avoidable goals on semi-chances. I felt that our team needed more solidity. More confidence in our defensive work and our organization.

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