Uncertainty Surrounds Nigeria As World Cup Nears

At the end of 90 minutes at Austria, disbelief and uncertainty are all that could be concluded as the Tomas Kalas first-half goal condemned the Nigerian side to another defeat in their warm-up games to the world cup. Nigeria suffered defeat to the Czech Republic a side that failed to make it to the world cup. Prior to the game, the Nigeria team have failed to pick any victory in their last 3 matches with a draw and 2 defeat. The Super Eagles have not won a single game since their 1-0 victory over Poland and this is becoming a source of concern for Gernot Rohr.

The Super Eagles surrendered a goal lead in their game against Democratic Republic of Congo to settle for a 1-1 draw in a game that they were tipped to win as predicted by bet sites. Prior to that, they were humbled 2-0 by Serbia. In their last outing at Wembley stadium, the super eagles seemed lost in the first interval of the game as the played second fiddle to England. The Nigerian team was lucky to be going into the break 2 goal down considering their performance in the first interval.

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Nigeria vs The Czech Republic As 2018 World Cup Nears

The Nigerian team recovered in the second interval but could only pull a goal back as the three lions held a firm defense to earn all 3 points. While Gernot Rohr’s men could take some positives from the Wembley game, their defeat to the Czech Republic 4 days later is inexcusable as the European side was recently hammered 4-0 by Australia.

The Super Eagles against the Czech side played with no passion particularly in the first interval as Ndidi’s 30 yards shot in the first half interval and John Mikel Obi’s header in the 63rd minutes as their best attempt at goal.

A critical look at the performance of the Super Eagles in the last 5 games, the hidden uncertainties of the team has started to surface. It’s no longer news that the Super Eagles have no recognized first-choice shot-stopper but lack of leadership at the back. This has become a source of concern for the African team as neither Balogun nor Ekong has taken up the leadership responsibility and this has surfaced in recent friendlies against England and the Czech Republic.

Kenneth Omeruo looks like the man with the experience at the back but has not done enough to guarantee a first-team berth. The Midfield partnership of Joel Obi and Ogenyi Onazi have failed to create a stable platform from which Mikel could operate from. The former Chelsea player has been forced to drop deep to get the ball in many cases and this has affected the overall team play.

Wilfred Ndidi might be excused for just returning from the sidelines but the same can’t be said for John Ogu as he has failed to establish himself despite the chances presented to him by the German tactician. The attacking trio of Moses, Ighalo, and Iwobi have proved to be very blunt as they have failed to threaten opposition teams.

Victor Moses has seemed to be too isolated in his position while Odion Ighalo has seemed to be out of pace at times in games as reported by most Nigeria Football news sites. Iwobi have rarely impressed except when deployed into deep areas in the second interval of games. While the likes of Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Ihenacho have been introduced in the second interval of games, the duo has failed to convince the manager of their talents when called upon.

Gernot Rohr and his team need to recover in time before their encounter with Croatia on the 16th of June. The German will be hoping that his team rediscovers the passion and desire that helped them qualify for the showpiece despite being in the group of death. Rohr no doubt will be preferring a combination of Onazi and Ndidi at the middle of the park while hoping that his blunt attacking trio somehow discovers their spark.

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IMAGE: PIXABAY