CAN 2025: Chelle reveals Petkovic’s mistakes during Nigeria vs Algeria | OneFootball

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·10 February 2026

CAN 2025: Chelle reveals Petkovic’s mistakes during Nigeria vs Algeria

Article image:CAN 2025: Chelle reveals Petkovic’s mistakes during Nigeria vs Algeria

Algeria: Petkovic singled out by Eric Chelle

Article image:CAN 2025: Chelle reveals Petkovic’s mistakes during Nigeria vs Algeria

CAN 2025: Chelle reveals Petkovic’s mistakes during Nigeria vs Algeria

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A month after Algeria’s elimination by Nigeria (2-0) in the quarter-finals of CAN 2025, Eric Chelle delivered a sharp analysis of the match during a special edition of the After Foot podcast. The Nigerian head coach didn’t just discuss his own team’s performance: above all, he openly highlighted the choices that, in his view, made the Super Eagles’ task easier.

Drawing on his experience in Algeria, where he coached for several months, Chelle explained that he had anticipated the Fennecs’ playing style:

“I coached in Algeria for six months, I know the mentality of the Algerian footballer: he’s technical, he loves doing drills with the ball. I know Algerian fans prefer when their team keeps possession.”

Fully aware of the threat, he says he built his plan around aggressive pressing:

“I knew I’d be up against a top team. If I let them play, we’d get blown away, so I decided to hit them with intense, relentless pressure.”

But for Chelle, the first major warning sign came with the announcement of Algeria’s starting eleven. The absence of Baghdad Bounedjah was seen as a significant tactical blunder:

“When I saw the line-up and noticed Baghdad Bounedjah wasn’t there, I thought: that’s it, we’re going to crank up the intensity even more. Because to get out of a press, you either play your way out with one-touch football, or you go long and count on the striker to win the ball and push the block upfield.”

Finally, the Nigerian coach believes Petkovic was slow to adapt:

“He could have brought him on at half-time, but Petkovic probably thought we’d drop our intensity, even though our dip in energy usually comes between the 60th and 70th minute.”

This intervention is sure to reignite debate over Algeria’s tactical choices.

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