Former Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba has challenged Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle to make bold selection decisions ahead of the November international window, insisting that some established players must be dropped to create room for fresh talent.
Ikpeba believes the national team needs stronger competition for places, warning that players who are guaranteed selection regardless of their performances could undermine the team’s progress.
“Managers in football have to take risks. The great managers of the modern game, the Sir Alex, the Pep, they take risks,” Ikpeba said.
“When a team is not doing well, they are ready to take risks, bring in some new faces.”
The former African Footballer of the Year stressed that competition for places was essential to maintaining high standards within the national team.
“When players are not used to fighting for positions, that’s a problem,” he said.
Ikpeba also referred to Nigeria’s disappointing performance against Guinea-Bissau, arguing that Chelle must be willing to reassess individual performances rather than retain the same players without question.
“Is this the manner we capitulated against Guinea-Bissau? It’s for him now to say, okay, this player, you didn’t have a good game,” he stated.
With Nigeria preparing for another international window in November, Ikpeba believes the coach has an opportunity to reinforce accountability and make it clear that selection will depend on performance.
“In a few weeks’ time, we’re going to have this double-header in the month of November. Some of the players have to be dropped,” he insisted.
The former Super Eagles forward argued that dropping underperforming players would encourage others to raise their standards while creating opportunities for emerging talents.
“When you start dropping these players, you send a message to the others that if you don’t step up, you will not play,” Ikpeba explained.
For Ikpeba, Chelle’s challenge is not simply to select established names but to make difficult decisions that strengthen competition, accountability and urgency within the Super Eagles squad.
