AFCON: Finidi George States What Nigeria Must Do to Sustain Success Recorded in Ivory Coast

• The Super Eagles gave a good account of themselves at the Africa Cup of Nations
• Jose Peseiro’s team finished as runners-up behind tournament host, Ivory Coast
• Finidi George identified what Nigeria need to do to maintain success post-AFCON

The Super Eagles of Nigeria undoubtedly had themselves an eventful 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.

Heading into the tournament amidst waves of criticism, Jose Peseiro’s team not only silenced their detractors but also soared to the final of the competition.

However, Nigeria's seemingly fairytale run at the tournament were dashed by a remarkable display courtesy of Ivory Coast's midfielder, France Kessie, and forward, Sebastien Haller. A breathtaking second-half performance from the dynamic duo, was enough to steal the title off the hands of their West African counterpart.

Nonetheless, in the aftermath of the showpiece, Super Eagles assistant coach, Finidi George, has stressed what the team needs to do to build on the success recorded at the AFCON.

AFCON 2023: Nigeria’s Super Eagles icon shares thoughts on Jose Peseiro following defeat against Ivory Coast

Football

Finidi on Nigeria's post-AFCON trajectory

In a chat with media outlet Brila.net, the 52-year-old emphasised key strategies to ensure that the positivity achieved at the AFCON translates into a lasting legacy for the Nigerian national team.

"The formation has to be upgraded at every given time. Every time you are in a tournament or score a goal, you try to do something else. We have to upgrade what we have done so far.

Stating the fact the coaching crew have learned from the defeat against the Ivorians, the former Real Betis winger continued,

"I think it is a lesson. After our goal, we defended too deep. Moving forward, we have to push that formation.

We have to push it a little bit further instead of going behind. We need to go a little bit further so we don't struggle to win games. That's what the coach will do. He saw it, too. So we have to be better on that."

Ivory Coast savour AFCON triumph but future is unclear

Football

The words of the current Enyimba gaffer resonate with many stakeholders across the Nigerian football scenes.

However, having highlighted what must be done to achieve sustained success, it remains to be seen how these would be implemented in the upcoming fixtures of the Super Eagles.

Finidi explains why Nigeria lost against Ivory Coast

In another report, Sports Brief stated that the assistant coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi, provided insights into Nigeria's loss in the AFCON final against Ivory Coast.

The 52-year-old highlighted that Nigeria became defensive after scoring the opener in the final. Finidi concluded by underlining the influence the home crowd had on the match.