Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has expressed admiration for the good work Walid Regragui has done at the Moroccan national team ahead of Wednesday’s crucial semifinal clash, SportPremi reports.
Nigeria will face the host nations in a crucial last four encounter at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday night, eyeing a spot in the final for a second consecutive edition.
The Super Eagles have been very impressive so far in Morocco, winning all of their five matches and have also scored the highest number of goals of any participating nations (14).
However, the task is not getting easier as they face their toughest test of the tournament so far in the host nation.
Morocco have won four of their five matches at the AFCON tournament, and this is also their first semifinal appearance in 22 years.
Head coach Walid Regragui has overseen remarkable improvements since his arrival in 2022 and guided the team to a historic fourth-placed finish at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He has also guided the country to the semifinal of their home AFCON tournament, as they eye a first title since 1976.
Eric Chelle heaps praises on Regragui
Eric Chelle, recently celebrated a year in charge of the Nigerian national team and has brought remarkable improvements to the team, despite falling short of reaching the FIFA World Cup later this year.
Speaking in an interview, the 48-year-old praised Regragui and expects a tough contest in the semifinal clash.
“Morocco is a great team. It’s never easy for the tournament host team because there’s enormous pressure. People say that Morocco faced great difficulties at the beginning of the tournament, but I say they are a great team, and there’s a lot of hard work behind everything they’ve achieved?” Chelle admitted.
“The coach (Regragui) is fantastic and he has great players. I think he has prepared very well for the Africa Cup of Nations. You can’t imagine the work that goes into preparing for the AFCON.
“I take my hat off to him. For example, the coach analyzes the matches of all the teams participating in the AFCON, so we’re talking about analyzing more than 100 matches”, the Super Eagles gaffer continued his praise.
“Morocco has qualified for the semi-finals, and they deserve it. I’m very happy for him (Regragui) and his team. It will be a great match between two excellent teams, and the best team will win.
“Now, I’m proud to face this great coach because he truly is a great coach. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a national team coach competing in the Africa Cup of Nations in his own country”, he concluded.
Nigeria and Morocco clash in a heavyweight semifinal clash on Wednesday night, with Egypt and Senegal facing off in the other semifinal clash in a repeat of the 2021 AFCON final.
