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1994 AFCON winner and former Barcelona winger, Emmanuel Amuneke, who leads the Golden Eaglets to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, starting October 17, has said that Eagles are lacking top class players because the country did not invest in our youths.

With less than 16 days to the start of Chile 2015, how are the boys doing?

They are fine. We are preparing for the World Cup, which starts on October 17 in Chile and our first match is against USA and we are working towards that direction.

How much do you know of the USA side?

We don’t like to dwell on what we know of our opponents but we know something about them and likewise they know something about us. Football is no longer a hidden thing. It all depends on the ability and the mental approach of the team to each opposition.

As the defending champions of the tournament, all eyes will be on you, which leads one to want to know how you are coping with the burden of expectations and how you plan to deal with the teams you will face in Chile. We are the defending champions because God helped us to win the last tournament in the United Arab Emirates and we are now back again. For us, it is a privilege, an honour and an added responsibility and we have to embrace the task. All 24 teams going to the World Cup have one objective – winning the trophy. Likewise, we want to go there and successfully defend our cup. But we have to work. This is just the reality. We are optimistic, we are working hard, we are pushing ourselves and believe that through God, through patience and by doing the right thing that we will achieve whatever we have set to achieve.

We have never successfully defended the trophy before?

Maybe, this will be the first time that God will make it possible for us to do so. In our group, comprising Chile, Croatia and USA, who do you see as the biggest threat to our ambition? It is not about whom do we fear but about being aware and conscious of all the teams . All the four teams in our group made it to the World Cup from their various continental competitions. All the teams are there to win the cup. We will respect all teams.

As the defending champions, you are the ones that other teams will be bidding to beat for obvious reasons.

For you to win that cup for four times shows that there is a pedigree in that category of football in Nigeria. We are the ones to beat and no team will make it easier for us. Those are the conveniences and inconveniences that surround the tournament and we are conscious of that and are working towards that direction.

Emmanuel Amuneke is more known than his players because of his remarkable achievements as a former Barcelona player, Nations Cup winner and FIFA U-17 World Cup winner, your name alone is a big history in world football and that is what you are taking to the World Cup, Amuneke, the serial achiever. What will your name bring to the team?

 It is not about Emmanuel Amuneke. We thank God for giving us the grace and opportunity for us to be well known all over the world and in Nigeria.. What matters most is the players, who have to write their own history and if God made it possible for us to be with them, then