Coach of the Flying Eagles, Ladan Bosso, has said that being pitched in the same group with Brazil and Italy in the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup could be a blessing in disguise for Nigeria.
He said every team that has qualified for the World Cup is a potential winner and must not be underrated.
According to the former Abia Warriors coach, starting against strong teams will make the job easier as the competition progresses.
“I think Nigeria being paired with Brazil, Italy and the Dominican Republic is a blessing in disguise. Because I believe the harsher you start, the easier it ends. Even before the draws, I’ve said earlier that any national team that has qualified to that level has something to offer, which means they were champions in their own rights.
“For example, we had only nine training sessions before we left for Niger. We played our first match against Ghana, then eliminated Cote d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. The finals with Benin Republic was 3-1, so the harsher we start, the easier the end.
“The most important thing is to win our first match convincingly, then that will bring out the confidence in the team. And the second match against Italy is a winnable game because Italy is a beatable nation as far as youth football is concerned,” the former Wikki Tourists coach said.
Bosso further expressed confidence in his team ahead of Argentina 2023.
“As far as I am concerned, I am in charge of the team for today. Anything can happen tomorrow. But the issue is if I have confidence in myself, and the players do too, I think Nigerians should have confidence in us too. Nobody gave us a chance the day we were going to play Ghana in Niger. Every coach wants to play in the final (of the World Cup), I’m not different,” Bosso who led the Flying Eagles to the quarterfinal stage of the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup said.