… As Nigeria strategises for World Cup qualifier
Nigeria’s Super Eagles need to work more on their attack before October 3 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zambia in Ndola, according to ex-international, Etim Esin.
The star-studded Eagles struggled to pip Tanzania 1-0 last Saturday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom in the 2017 Nations Cup qualifier, despite frittering away series of scoring opportunities during the keenly contested duel.
Eagles are still grateful to the Manchester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho’s late grounder, which boosted the morale of the players and changed the tune of the team under Franco-German coach, Gernot Rohr.
“Eagles played well. They tried their best but the coach need to do something about the attack. The beauty of every game is scoring goals. The attackers should get used to themselves and strategise on how to score goals without stress. They should know how to use the chances created by the midfielders. They should always be at alert and be determined to make a difference,” he said.
The Chile 1987 Under-20 World Cup player said he was excited to see the calibre of players who came for the match, saying that it is a mixture of old and new set of players and they really justified the invitation.
“There is no doubt, Nigeria parades the best players in Africa and there is course for fear as the team would grow from strength to strength after playing more competitive matches.
Earlier, another international, Ademola Adesina, had urged Rohr to arrange for more friendly duels for Eagles.
He said the matches would make the team blend together before their proposed date with Zambia in the World Cup qualifier.
Eagles are in the same group with Zambia, Cameroon and Algeria in Group B and the most motivated team in the group is our team, Super Eagles.
Former international, Peter Nieketien, also believes that it is not yet bed of roses for Eagles, as there are work to be carried out on the team.
“Although, the team is new but the foundation must be solid. Rohr still has a lot to impact on the team because Rome is not built in one day. It has to be a gradual thing with purposeful approach and result-oriented training exercise, I think Eagles will definitely bounce back. With the quality of players we have now, the team can make a difference in future,”he said.
Rohr believes the victory his team recorded against Tanzania, had given his boys enough confidence to face any hurdle in their quest for the World Cup ticket.
“I am confident that this team will go places. I experienced that motivation last week. We have big, quality players and I think we have a big chance to go to Russia 2018,” he said.
He said the players currently lack confidence following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
“The players need confidence and the confidence will come when they win more games.
“But first, we need a good defence to be stable and to attack better,” he said.
He had also re-affirmed intention to recall former number one goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama and other players to beef up the squad while x-raying the strength of Zambia national team.
“Zambia has some good players. Kalaba is the best, he scores goals always for them and I also know Sunzu very well because he plays in France,” disclosed Rohr.
He assured Nigeria will be at their best for the World Cup qualifiers because “we have to be in Russia”.
“We will need all our best players to be at their very best,” he said.
“The focus is to strengthen the spine of the team and ensure they can beat any team.
“The confidence has not been there because the team failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, but when results start to come, the confidence will return.”
