18th December, 2012
Super Eagles and Celtic defender, Ambrose Efe is convinced that Nigeria has enough quality to battle other 15 teams for the 2013 African Cup of Nations trophy in South Africa.
The player’s optimisms is hinged on the fact that most of the players are in top form at the moment.
“Sincerely speaking some of us are in our best form because we are playing consistently for our various clubs. So our fitness level is never in doubt and this would be a good yardstick to measure our performance at the Africa Cup of Nations,” Efe told goal.com.
He also praised the decisions of the national coach, Stephen Keshi, who has brought new life into the squad by involving players from the Nigeria Premier League, NPL.
“I have to praise our chief coach for his fatherly gesture towards the players and standing firm in his decision to give the home players a chance in the team.
“He has also bridged the wide gap between the home-based players and foreign-based stars. So these players now play with full confidence and have started to contribute immensely to the overall performance of the team which has brought us thus far.”
Efe said the fitness level of Nigerian players will be key to their performance at the tournament, as they aim to win a third continental trophy for the country.
“We are going to bring our fitness level to bear when the Nations Cup commences in January. I am sure that we are not only going to perform well in the competition, but we have a very good chance of winning the 2013 Nations Cup trophy at the end of the competition,” the former Olympic star promised.