Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr is upbeat his team will be among the five African representatives at 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, reports Completesports.com.
The West Africans have failed to make it to the World Cup finals only once since their first participation at the 1994 edition in the United States of America.
Rohr’s charges will face Liberia, Cape Verde and Central African Republic in the second round of the qualifiers.
The German is adamant the Super Eagles will cross the hurdle and make it to Qatar.
“We have three opponents in the group and have to respect all of them. Liberia are a team that can’t be underestimated as we saw when
we beat them in a friendly,”Rohr told FIFA.com.
“As for Cape Verde, they have players of Portuguese and Brazilian origin, and they can beat any team. Central African Republic are an unknown quantity for us, which makes it more difficult.
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“I think the group is tough, but we believe in our capabilities. Given that we qualified from the group of death for Russia 2018, we’re confident we can make it this time as well.”
The Super Eagles have failed to make it beyon
d the second round stage in all of their outings at the mundial.
Rohr hopes he can create history by leading the three-time African champions to the quarter-finals.
“We’ll take it one step at a time. First we need to qualify, and if we do that, we’ll look at our group at the finals,” he added.
“We’ll try to progress to the knockout stage, which we got very close to two years ago. We have to work hard to achieve that.”
By Adeboye Amosu
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COMMENTS
Well spoken boss…. With the squad and options that we have, Qatar 2022 is a huge reality for us. We pray for good form for all our players and also that element of luck that crowns efforts…
Wasere… Obviously Rohr listens to the people in some of his decisions… Welcome bk Ebuehi, u have been missed… Show us some good stuff and stay injury free
Wow wow… what a great news… my best news of the month…Ebuehi inclusion is well deserved.. He should have made the previous list.. So happy for him.
“Rohr Confident Super Eagles Will Be At Qatar 2022”.
You don’t understand our points here Oga Rohr.
We asked you to qualify Nigeria to the next world cup and go beyond semis or to even win the championship.
What is the point of qualify to the world cup and bn eliminated in the group stages?
We also wanted you to win the next Afcon for us. These are the two things that we are asking you to do for Nigeria.
Anything less than this won’t be acceptable.
I love you and I appreciate you a lot. Please, stop talking. We need action because you have the players to get the job done for you in a simple way.
It’s time to work. No time for excuses. God bless Nigeria!!!
But there was a time this “ordinary” qualification was impossible. Now he has made it look ordinary and possible u don get mouth abi.? Why U no get mouth to yab this garbage when ur african guardiaola left us and ran away or when we were ranked 70 in the whole world and 30 in Africa or when we could hardly get grade A friendlies or when beating lowly placed teams like Rwanda, Benin, Angola at home during qualifiers was a crusade and night vigil affair??? Are u not ashamed that the same man u castigate is the same person that has given u the bragging rights to say na semi final be the target??? Don’t worry, na so shame go dy catch una one by one including ur master the ex cricket international.
@Oakfield, no make I vex for you o. This disinformation that things were bad before Rohr came, should be put to rest. It is fake news. Do you have such short memory? Okay I will remind you. Did Chad not suffer heavily in our hands in 2015 although we scored just 2 goals? What of Mighty Tanzania, did we not slug it out with them for a respectable 0:0 draw in 2015? Okay, Sudan managed to win us 1:0 in 2014 but we took our revenge back at home, so no shaking. Don’t tell me that it is a big deal that Uganda defeated us in 2015 after we laboured to a 2:0 victory against Niger Republic. Let’s say Congo DR defeated us 2:0 after that, at least we bounced back powerfully against Eswatini (a Southern African country) in a 0:0 world cup qualifier on 2015 November. So, don’t come here and tell me that things were very bad before Rohr took over. Mind Ursef.
@igbekun abo, nice one bro, I like your succinct analysis of the very ‘Mighty Super Eagles’ of that Era before coach Rohr.. Lolz
lol @Igekun. your tongue in cheek responses is appreciated. I hope folks can see it tho 🙂
Maybe u were living in the moon when we were ranked 30 th and counting in africa and 70th in the world or maybe vacating in mars when we lost world qualifiers on home soil to Angola and Rwanda on different occasions. Or maybe, u were running errands in Jupiter when we could hardly get grade A friendly suitors but had to face countries like Sudan and the rest of them. U have a very, very short memory for you to make this comment and I have replied with a refresher so that u go vex more. Oh, lest I forget, remember that nff gave oga rohr a target of qualifying for ordinary afcon when he came on board. That’s how things were at the time. So if you like, u can vex so tee till tomorrow, na u sabi.
@omo9ja always makes this platform interesting whenever he fumbled without retracting his shameful words. At present, I doff my cap for diligent and dynamic Rohr. More power to your elbow
@igbekun Rotfl….lol nice one
Now I get it…. Lol @igbekun lol…. U funny One love bro
Very funny @Igbekun.lolz.
“Let’s say Congo DR defeated us 2:0 after that, at least we bounced back powerfully against Eswatini (a Southern African country) in a 0:0 world cup qualifier on 2015 November” – Igbekun Abo.
Hahahahahahaha!
Imagine Nigeria “bouncing back” with a 0-0 draw against Swaziland (No disrespect intended). Chai, see how SE fans have suffered in the recent past! Rohr has now come and removed the shame from our faces. And some are now giving him ultimatum to win Afcon and world cup! After that, you can also ask Rohr to build Nigeria a nuclear arsenal!
Nice one, Igbekun Abo. I needed that laugh.
Alaye listen to yourself… and you’re proud of the super eagles that produced this mediocre result… U must be joking
LOL…bro, you won.
@Omo9ja and @Igbekun Abo make una leave these mediocre Super Eagles Supporters @Oakfield @Q etc. who make Rohr feel that average is good. I think @Omo9ja and @Q we need more fans like you two on this forum. Who show true Love to the cause. Besides if you really “LOVE” something or Someone you will love them enough to show them where they are going wrong. World Cup 2014 Stephen Keshi Mandate was to better our last Round of 16 position in 1998 and Also better Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon’s Quarter finals positions, anything less was a failure(mind you Nigeria is not the greatest African team unless they can prove they can out do Ghana and Cameroon’s World Cup performances), anyway He (Keshi) failed because of Dishonesty, big headedness and pure Arrogance.
Needless to say the ripple effects of his tenure made us miss 2 Afon Tournaments consecutively. so onto Rohr his Mandate was also to better the Round of 16 he failed miserably with a more honest selection process than Keshi. Meaning Rohr took a stronger squad to World Cup 2018 but still did worse than Keshi with a stronger Squad. That’s a bigger Failure.
Now Fast foward 2 years with a Stronger Squad and more Quality players in my opinion this current Generation can Rival the 90’s Generation and Oga Rohr is trying to blind fold us by saying we only expect him to Qualify to Qatar???????? NO GERNOT ROHR WE WILL NOT LISTEN WE NEED QUATER FINALS OR SEMI’s THEN WE ARE TALKING. Do your job get Saka and EZE make that your prioty not only Franco-german immigrants. If you want to put the blinkers on us so we can cut you some slack when you fail again it won’t work We want Quarter Finals or Semi’s so we can put ourselves in the same breath as Ghana and Cameroon when we talk of Africa at the World Cup.
I mean Ghana did it at their Maiden Tournament and here Nigeria is Talking of qualifying after 8 attempts what a woeful shame.
#Mediocremindsareenemiesofprogress if you know who you are. Please change your way of thinking
A Word is enough for the wise
#Mediocremindsareenemiesofprogress
@UGO IWUNZE…
See the way u are vomiting and spewing out rubbish….
Just listen to yourself….
How many times have we been to WC and how many times have we reached the knock out stages???
Is it only the 2014 U can recall?
How about 2002 Were we came home with just 1point and 1goal?
2010 1 point 3 goals?
U are so clueless about this soccer of a thing… Who told u Ghana reached Q/finals in their maiden appearance?
Which country did Brazil whipped 3nil in round 16?
Kids in football coming here to form….
Abeg shift make pass jooorrr….
Rohr must do this or quit,,, rohr must do that or sent to exile?
Is Rohr going to stay here forever?
He will leave one day and your african QUARDIOLA will still come and relegate us to 16 in africa and this time around 80 in the world…
Anytime we face midiocres like SUDAN, NAMIBI, CONGO, KENYA, GABON it will be as if we’re facing BRAZIL, GERMANY, FRANCE, NETHERLAND….
Haters of good things…
Lol…. @ubf…. The guy too dy take overdose…. Lol
@UBFE Yes Ghana did it in their second attempt it will be Nigeria’s 7th attempt and still qualifying is what Rohr thinks makes us happy, and not aiming to better Quarter finals Ghana Achieved in only their 2nd attempt?
Apologies for me typing in a hast because of my frustrations towards Rohr doesn’t mean I am not aware of the facts. also it gives you an excuse to mis the whole point of the gist which I do not take to heart because I know you 2 have a habit of using small errors that make no head to the main point in order to deflect attention from the topic which is Rohr’s lack of confidence in his abilities and that of our proven Stars, his lack of tactics at crucial times in important games and not so important ones. @Oakfield This is detrimental to our success and the sooner you two Knuckle heads get that in to your Dead brains the better.1994 we would have achieved it in our 1st attempt hence that generation can lay claim to being the best so far.
So in conclusion, we need a coach who can better the class of 1994 and, this current generation as oppose to previous since 1994 has the best chance of emulating that, Rohr needs to wake up otherwise we will mis this opportunity again.
A word is enough for the wise
@UGO IWUNZE, well spoken and may God continue to bless you bro. You see gentleman, only in Nigeria we celebrate poor results and average achievements.
I don’t need to talk too much today because you have said it all.
Coach Rohr followers don’t care about our Super Eagles but Oga Rohr.
They love celebrating fifa ranking than to celebrate trophies for Nigeria.
They love Bronze medals to Gold medals. Who does that? Chai, it is well.
I have been saying this and I will say it again, coach Rohr will continue having fantastic players but winning something meaningful with the gaffer, hmmm… we have to be prayerful o.
I can see that Mr. Rohr is trying but the system is not working for him at all. NFF are the system that have to do the needful things such as young exceptional, vibrant
and elegant goalkeeper trainers and assistant coaches for coach Rohr. At least, Mr. Rohr needs an expert for him to be able to functioning well as a national coach of Nigeria period.
Coach Rohr fans should remember section 419 of my constitution. “If you can’t beat we patriotic Nigerians then you join us for the betterment of Nigeria”. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
@ Igbekun Abo, comedy makes light of a tragedy…what a great satirical way to let Rohr detractors review our 70th position in fifa ranking…
no country in the world can so boast of winning a tournament it has not even qualified to play in……no not even countries that are greater than nigeria in terms of soccer…..it is therefore inordinate to begin to talk about winning a tournament like the world cup before qualification talkless of knowing your opponents……and its rather annoying please
Not just annoying bro, it says alot about how we think. Who talks about quarter finals when they are yet to qualify for a tournament.
For many years, super eagles have craved for this gradual progress we are experiencing now. If we now are so full of ouselves and continue to be ingrates because we have just forgotten what qualification used to be like, we would quickly be reminded how Congo was a better team for many years.
@Oakfield, @Igbekun Abo………..thanks for your comments above, nice one. Please let me add a reminder that……a certain coach called Paul Le Guen declined his appointment to coach Almighty Nigeria SE in 2016 because he doesn’t believe he can actualise the Mandate of Qualifying us to the 2018 World Cup. Gernot Rohr came, accepted the job and made an easy job of Qualifying us for both WC and AFCON in style.
Rohr haters are highly unrepentant creatures!!!
Thumbs up @dr banks
@OMO9JA….
Always spewing out thrash….
When will your comment look sensible?
“…what is the need of qualifying for a tournament without winning it? ”
I think this is the first time we would be qualifying for the world cup….
Bcos i see no reason why a reasonable human being will be reasoning this way….
So how about the previous world cups we’ve been going;how many did we win??
So it is the one of 2022 that rohr must win else the world will not exist again….
In 2002 we came back with just 1point and 1goal…. In 2006 we can’t even qualify from a group that has minos like ANGOLA, GABON, ZIMBABWE… In 2010 we came back with 1point and 3goals….
In all this the world did not come to end…
Rubbish….
When we were struggling to qualify from a group that has “S.AFRICA, CONGO, NAMIBIA” u did not come out to spew this rubbish…
Haters of good things, enemy of progress.
Guys, things got so bad to the extent that we had to start world cup qualifiers from a very low level to be paired against Eswatini. I have to embarrass myself on this platform when I say I never knew such a country existed (honestly!). As bad as it was, a team comprising Iheanacho, Mikel, Martins, Musa,Iwobi, Onazi and Abdullahi could not even score a single goal against this Eswatini team in November 2015. We needed prayers, night vigil and fasting before a red card and grit gave us unconvincing 2:0 victory at home. Yet, no less than 12 players from that same team featured in Rohr’s team list that demolished the Inconsolable Cubs of Cameroon in 2017. It is not even worth arguing with those who seek to belittle Rohr’s achieved with Nigeria.
Seriously!!!!!
U spot on @igbekun. The point is, that group of ingrates are so shameless that they themselves confess the truth with the same stinking mouth that they used to spew garbage. They once said finidi was better than rohr or could handle the eagles better but he wasnt even considered for the eglets job. Na the same guy wey dy yan upandan (with the support of the usual shameless suspects) that he could coach our almighty eagles, how ironic??? Now, all of them have gone silent like a dog that swallowed a big bone, lying in wait for rohr to slip ( maybe get a draw) and Then u shall see them creeping out of their smelly sh… t holes. The reason why u see omo9ja still talking is bcos he’s just a shameless mother f… Ker.
Igbekun Abo don start again ooo. Inconsolable Cubs of Cameroun. Lol!
How about Insipid Kitty Cats? Insufficient Felines? Hehehehehe!
Indeed, the bulk of our players that underperformed in the past were used by Rohr to qualify us for the world cup and Afcon. The qualification was a leisurely stroll, we qualified with games to spare, calculator use in Nigeria has now become obsolete. Yet, the Rohr haters will never see anything good in all the progress that has been made in such a short time. It took Westerhof 5 years to build the SE that stunned the world in the 1994 world cup. Rohr has turned our team into a formidable squad in an even shorter time, just 3 yrs or thereabouts. And I strongly believe that Rohr will take the SE to even greater heights. Winning major tournaments when you have a good coach and a good squad is always possible. But instead of demanding trophies from Rohr, let us continue to support him and give him the environment he needs to do his job. By doing this, we actually increase our chances of getting these trophies.
As Oakfield pointed out, in the recent past, Nigerians were using NIGHT VIGIL to try to win matches.
Prayers and fasting. God should help us to defeat our opponents, even if we have not worked hard to earn victory. As if our opponents are not God’s children as well. Lol!
My calculator buttons were worn out. I don press them taya. Calculating probabilities, permutations, combinations. SE fans became advanced mathematicians and statisticians. Now we have a coach who is moving the team forward. The baby is now crawling well, and some people are now demanding that it should get up and run faster than Usain Bolt!
This qualifying round is only 50% of the journey. Of these ten countries, 5 will be disappointed: Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Mali, Congo.
As if the form books are accurate, they should win their groups and then enter a head to head with each other for one of the five African spots, give or take a couple of surprises.
Whilst I think on their day Nigeria can beat just about any African country, we should not take victory for granted. I don’t think any of the countries will choose to face us in the knock out round.
We have regained the fear factor
This is where our FIFA rankings will play a huge role….and we need to start building those rankings as from these next set of friendlies coming up. By the time the head to head pairings will be done, going by the current rankings, we will avoid the top 5 and may get any of the likes of Mali, Congo or Cameroon. I pray we NEVER have to meet Ghana is such circumstances.
Me too. I am so scared of teams that are boogey to us. Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ghana and even Algeria. Hope these teams are firing all cylinders
I pray we avoid Ghana like a plague!
Excuse me, Ghana has no team , their era has faded away.
Why I can relate with the boogey team, Ghana,could be to Nigeria but I dare say recent record proves differently.
From the 2000s, we have played some 10 games;Nigeria has won 6 and Ghana just 1;while we had 3 draws. In fact,competitively, Nigeria has beaten Ghana twice in both Afcon 2006 in Egypt and 2010 in Angola; with Ghana winning the one at home soil (Afcon 2008).
So it is clear that Ghana boogey has been trapped in the early years and Nigeria has totally found a way to go around them , getting the job done.
Should we be worried about Ghana? Obviously,they are never push overs, they are fierce rivals in all endeavours and like every footballing giant countries in Africa, should never be taken likely. But we shouldn’t worry too much.Focus on our own and on that day, the job would be done.
Are you kidding me!Ghana has a decent team,they have players in the premiership Spanish la liga,Italian serie A and others across Europe.Players like Schlupp and Ayew Jordan who are both regular players for Crystal Palace,Amartey of Leicester then you have Thomas Partey of Athletico Madrid,Kwado Asamoah Juventus,Ajiemadu badu Udinese,Duncan Sasuolo and a host of others.
Besides,Ghana has always put up a spirited fight when they are up against Nigeria.They never want to lose against us and history favours them against Nigeria.
The likes of Ghana,Senegal and Egypt are the three teams Nigeria should avoid.Not saying we cant win games against this top African sides rather Nigeria always does with the skin of the teeth and more times we have been on the losing side especially against Ghana.I think we are even with Egypt and Senegal.
The way I see it though,I reckon of the 10 teams to qualify for the final playoffs,four of them would be a surprise team and 6 top sides will make up the numbers.Nigeria has always played at a very high level in Africa world cup playoffs,so hoping they continue in that vein.
Meanwhile,football has evolved in Africa and so many African teams have players across Europe making it harder for those who were major forces in the continent and it won’t be business as usual.
@Drey, We are currently 3rd in Africa and chasing second placed Tunisia. We are but a matter of points away from them. That we are playing the country directly above (Tunisia) and below (Algeria) is good fortune.
We have to play for a result against them both. The AFCON qualifiers should also help. I don’t see us dropping out of the African top 5 by the time of the knockout stage
Mr Hush, I have come to the conclusion that whenever Nigeria meets Ghana, the Black Stars just seem to want it more. Not to talk down on our boys at all but the Ghanaians seem to prefer to die on the pitch than lose to Nigeria.
Their (perceived) fanatical devotion to the cause really unsettles me. In the whole of Africa, Ghana are the only team that cause me much anxiety. And I think they are the only team on the continent that have much favourable head-to-head record against Nigeria (I stand to be corrected).
This is my personal observation and opinion, it has no scientific underpinnings so I want that to be borne in mind. No one has to share my opinion.
Out of 56 meetings, Ghana have overcome Nigeria 25 times (almost half of the encounters resulted in Ghanaian victories). We managed 12 wins and 19 ended in draws.
I don’t think any other African country has such a wide margin of victory against Nigeria.
In a conversation with Dr Drey almost 2 years ago, something he said stayed me. He said the home based Super Eagles squad to the 2014 CHAN was a “tournament winning squad”. I was fortunate to watch many of the matches and, my goodness, that team played a beautiful brand of football.
What was their undoing? Meeting Ghana in the semi-finals! Gosh!
In fact in recent history – 2007 to date – Nigeria and Ghana have met 4 times with 0 win to the Super Eagles, 1 draw and 3 wins to Ghana.
Greenturf above has now been quick to dispel any notion of Ghana being a spent force.
Like I already said, me I pray we avoid Ghana like a plague!
And Mr Hush, I think you made a mistake : Ghana’s largely Under-21 squad beat a star-studded Super Eagles squad in the Semi-finals of the 2010 Afcon.
@Deo
Yes.
Thanks for the correction. I totally missed that semi final loss.
But like I stated earlier and my below writing to Collins Id.
I am not doubting the ” boogey” Ghana present. In fact, I would want to avoid Ghana,likewise the rest of other big guns in Africa. But I don’t want to live in worry,if it comes,it comes.we should get the job done.
If not then we continue to be jinxed.
@Mr hush. point of correction. ghana defeated us in 2010 afcon semis 1 0 gyan header. that makes it 3 win since year 2000, 4 1 in london 2 1 in accra and 1 0 in angola. they also defeated us in penalties in the afcon for africa semi final in south africa and lastly 4 1 in wafu finals. = 5 wins. its a team to be worried about. expacially wen they grab dat desperation in their play. we saw wat they did to almighty egypt in 2014 wcup qualification. also cotedvoir is another threat. though we can dismatle any team oh. but sometimes our boys operate like diesel engine from start and later start to charge along the way, which maynot work against the aboved mentioned teams. i prefer senegal and the northern africans, i think we can do with them in a two headed clash. i trust rohr on this one, he knows how to deliver, expecially against the big teams. super eagles will reach 2022 wcup semis by the grace of God. @omonaija if rohr talk less confidents you complain that he lacks motivations, now that he is been confidents you still dey vess! your name na omovespa? lol. God bless naijizis
@Collins id
Thanks for the correction.I did missed the 2010 semi final.
But I never added local Eagles or local black stars for obvious reasons( intentionally so)..different game entirely.
Yes.like I stated. GHANA is team we should be worried about for the obvious fact they put their vein into us. But would I be overly worried not really,same as much as I would be worried about playing against other top teams in Africa.
That said,it wasn’t too long ago Cameroun was a boogey team,we now see how things have changed. That as well can happen to Ghana.if not already.
While it is best to avoid some teams till the necessary time, we should live in worry. We are in a good state.football is lived on the now. Focus on our own and the job would be done when the time comes.
@ Collins ID, I think you are overating the Ghanaians, They are also scared of us and they haven’t achieved anything meaningful in decades apart from reaching the last 8 in SA ‘2010,we should pray to avoid Senegal only, They have the best set of players in Africa currently, Ghana has decent players no doubt and same for us, Even since year 2000, we have also beaten them at AFcon 2002 and AF con 2006, We also trashed them 3-0 in PH enroute qualifying for Mundial 2002.Even the WAFU finals that we lost 4-1 in Accra, we first beat them 2-0 in the group stage, we have also beaten the severally in Age grade and Women football matches, including an Iheanacho and Success propelled 6-1, Cadet AFCON hammering. So pls don’t let it seem as if we are jinxed when facing the Ghanaians, Its 50-50 game.
@Omo9ja and @Igbekun Abo make una leave these mediocre Super Eagles Supporters @Oakfield @Q etc. who make Rohr feel that average is good. I think @Omo9ja and @Q we need more fans like you on this forum and in Nigeria. Who show true Love to the cause. Besides if you really “LOVE” something or Someone you will love them enough to show them where they are going wrong. World Cup 2014 Stephen Keshi Mandate was to better our last Round of 16 position in 1998 and Also better Ghana, senegal and Cameroon’s Quarter finals positions, anything less was a failure(mind you Nigeria is not the greatest African team unless they can prove they can out do Ghana and Cameroon’s World Cup performances), anyway He (Keshi) failed because of Dishonesty, big headedness and pure Arrogance.
Needless to say the ripple effects of his tenure made us miss 2 Afon Tournaments consecutively. so onto Rohr his Mandate was also to better the Round of 16 he failed miserably with a more honest selection process than Keshi. Meaning Rohr took a stronger squad to World Cup 2018 but still did worse than Keshi with a stronger Squad. That’s a bigger Failure.
Now Fast foward 2 years with a Stronger Squad and more Quality players in my opinion this current Generation can Rival the 90’s Generation and Oga Rohr is trying to blind fold us by saying we only expect him to Qualify to Qatar???????? NO GERNOT ROHR WE WILL NOT LISTEN WE NEED QUATER FINALS OR SEMI’s THEN WE ARE TALKING. Do your job get Saka and EZE make that your prioty not only Franco-german immigrants. If you want to put the blinkers on us so we can cut you some slack when you fail again it won’t work We want Quarter Finals or Semi’s so we can put ourselves in the same breath as Ghana and Cameroon when we talk of Africa at the World Cup.
I mean Ghana did it at their Maiden Tournament and here Nigeria is Talking of qualifying after 8 attempts what a woeful shame.
#Mediocremindsareenemiesofprogress if you know who you are. Please change your way of thinking
A Word is enough for the wise
#Mediocremindsareenemiesofprogress
I don’t subscribe to this fear of Ghana. They are a powerhouse in African football historically, and their current team is good. A Nigeria-Ghana match could go either way. It is not a sure win for Ghana, no way.
Having watched a few Nigeria-Ghana debacles, I have observed a pattern. Nigeria usually have the higher possession percentage, and we attack continuously, mainly thru the wings. When our attacks are not rewarded with a goal, we get desperate and anxious, and we commit more and more men forward in search of a goal. By doing that, we play right into Ghana’s hands. Ghana will usually sit back and soak up the pressure, and hit us on the counter. They are also good at making the most of set piece opportunities. Most of their goals against us come from counter attacks and set pieces.
The key to beating a Ghanaian side is patience. Don’t be in a hurry to score. Don’t commit too many men forward because you’re looking to score. Keep your defense disciplined. And defend set pieces well. If you take out the counter attacking component of Ghana’s game, and defend set pieces well, they are their for the taking. But if you lose your defensive discipline, commit too many men forward in search of goals, and you are incompetent at defending set pieces, Ghana will usually prevail.
This theory applies not just to Ghana, but also to teams that are founded on a strong defense.
Ghana are beatable. You just have to play them the right way to maximize your chances.
I’m much interested in this interesting view @BigD brought up.
We are surely going to make it out of this group of Liberia, Cape Verde and CAR. But the big game comes up when we have to meet any of this teams probably in a Knock out system: Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Mali, Congo.
For me, I think the Teams that the Super Eagles can to some extent boast of winning clearly is Congo, Mali, Morocco, Tunisia and even EGYPT. Egypt are no longer that threatening team from the North any longer. Infact remove Salah from Egypt and you’ll see how super ordinary they look this days. They would be lucky to survive a 2-0 from the Super Eagles this time.
But, I’ll pray we never have to meet:
1. Ghana: This guys might not be in super form at the moment. They may not have the loads of talents we have in the Super Eagles now but due to the Long-time Rivalry amongst us, they don’t take it lightly whenever they hear NIGERIA. They come out and give their all. Break as many legs as possible if they have to. It will take a lot…lot technicality from Rohr and his boys to beat them because truth be told, Ghana don’t play Technical football especially when they hear Nigeria. They play Do-or-Die on the pitch. And meeting this kinda team en-route the World Cup can be very dicey/risky. Even if we survive them, we will surely count nothing less than 2-3 injuries..lol. I pray we avoid Ghana by all means.
2. Cameroon: They may have looked like our whipping boys of recent but they can never be a push-away when they are faced with Nigeria. We all saw how they came at us in the last AFCON. It took the Mastery of Musa Ighalo late on, Dazzling form of Chukwueze and Iwobi’s silky 1-2s to beat them. This Cameroon guys too get beef with Nigeria big time. Especially after disgracing them en-route the 2018 World Cup despite being the African Champions and also being the one to disqualify them at AFCON ’19 despite being the defending champions as well… hmmmm. I fear they will be all out for revenge if they hear NIGERIA again. That game won’t be an easy one I must tell you. There has also been this long-standing Rivalry between us and they will surely want to rekindle it.
3. Senegal: Arguably has the best individual talents in the continent at the moment. There players are playing in top clubs. Recently there Goalkeeper is now a First choice goalie at CHELSEA. Speaks volume. They have a good Coach also that has been with them for close to 4 years now. They have a good team Chemistry and for me Strength for Strength, talent for talent, they are the only one I can rate slightly above or at par with Nigeria. Though even Sadio Mane has come out to heap Praise on Rohr’s team and admit the fear-factor also with Nigeria, Senegal will surely prove to be a hard nut to crack. Especially when it a match like who qualifies for the World Cup or not, they won’t want to loose it with their pedigree.
4. Algeria: lastly, Algeria comes to Mind. Till tomorrow, I still feel they got lucky to edge Nigeria in that Semi-final contest. No thanks to the Stupid Goal keeper positioning of Daniel Akpeyi, inability to arrange his wall and Ndidi’s unnecessary foul. I watched the match over and over and got to discover the shot the Algerian guy that was tripped was about to fire would have been a side-netting.
But, we can’t dispute the fact that they now play a very good football with their new coach Bjelmadi. They placed loads of Pressure on there opponents. They always seem to be surging forward. High-pressure and tireless footballing style. Also, beating a team like Colombia after the AFCON 3-0 is no fluke. Obviously with Bjelmadi, they are now a good team and if only we put our German style and technicality to play can we beat this team. So, meeting them in a situation such as the World Cup qualifiers won’t come easy this time. They will intesify that high pressure of theirs to the highest heavens just to get that qualification. I pray we don’t meet them. But if we do, I won’t fear them much as I would with Ghana and Cameroon and Senegal as well.
In Addition, Countries like South Africa (Salt of Africa), even though they are no where near us will want to add Sand-sand and Salt to our Garri if they meet us at that stage…that is if they get there in the first place oo. But if they do, they will want to make it hard for us and we’ll need a Good team spirit to put them where they belong. Cote d’ivoire also are not a push over with Zaha and Pepe. Infact they have talents plenty now but they lack Good Coaching.
I hope these teams maintain winning run and place high on the FIFA ranking as this would help us avoid them.
I also fear there might be some slip ups in the first round of qualifiers. My predictions are;
Group A : Algeria**, Burkina Faso, Niger, Djibouti
Algeria takes this group easily unless thunder strikes on some players and they have massive offdays, then Burkina Faso might pullout an upset.
Group B : Tunisia**, Zambia, Mauritania, Equ. Guinea
Please do not write off Zambia at all. They just appointed a new coach. They have a good league and they know how to play North African teams. Zambia will give Tunisia a run for their money. But Tunisia will edge it because Zambia will drop points against Eq. Guinea and Mauritania
Group C : Nigeria**, Cape Verde, CAR, Liberia
We want the SE to qualify but take Cape Verde seriously, because they naturalise players alot. top stars play for Porto, Fernabache and Boavista. They just appointed a new coach and they are serious about qualifying. They have an artificial pitch too. It will be difficult playing them away. CV and Liberia, big threats.
Group D : Cameroon**, Ivory Coast, mozambique, malawi
This is the Group of death. The reason why CIV do not want to play Nigeria is because it might expose them to Cameroon. I want to pick Cameroon because CIV do not have a GK
Group E : Mali**, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Uganda is no write off. This group will be decided because Uganda vs Kenya is an eastern rivalry which neither teams like to loose. Mali will beat Kenya home and away but Uganda will beat Mali in Uganda. Mali will edge this by a point.
Group F : Egypt, Gabon**, Libya, Angola
Here I see an upset. Gabon do want to qualify. They were taken out by Egypt the last time. Gabon can beat Egypt and they will this time.
Group G : Ghana**, S.A., Zimbabwe, Ethiopia
The old S.A. vs West African rivalry. S.A. do not currently have a coach but they have a good league. Ghana boast foreign players they hope to naturalise. Ghana seem to be always organised until the first ball is kicked and then they turn inside out with indiscipline. The one thing that will let S.A down is that they have a good pitch which always favour the west africans
Group H : Senegal**, Congo, Namibia, Togo
Senegal no doubt.
Group I : Morocco**, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sudan
Morocco, oh morocco. one moment hot the other moment cold. I dont know which morocco to expect. They would have left Herve Renard on the job. Fantastic players from start to finish. They recently put 5 past Zambia. They have a new coach from start to finish. It seems that there is nothing wrong with Morocco at the moment but they always find a way to bottle their chances.
Group J : DR Congo, Benin**, Madagascar, Tanzania
Here, I am going to go for Benin. Madagascar will upset Congo. Tanzania is no pushovers. 3 equally good side and one that can blow hot and cold (DR. Congo). Indiscipline will kill Congo again. They are not yet ready to go to a competition as massive as the world cup but I will never rule them out. Congo perform better against the bigger African opposition and consistency is not their friend. They will slip up against Tanzania and Madagascar again. Benin is currently on the rise and they seem to be attracting their diaspora as more players are switching allegiance.
Final 10
Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Gabon, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Benin
Top seeds according to current fifa rankings; Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco
2nd seeds; Mali, Gabon, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin
Now what do you guys think, Nigeria can take any of the 2nd seeded teams but I will advice we avoid Cameroon…lol
Good analysis, but Cameroon should be the one praying to avoid us and not the other way round, after the many lessons Rohr’s team has taught them.
Thanks Chairmanfemi. For me (apart from Ghana) I fear no African team as I believe we can overcome any of them on a good day.
Let’s look at our head-to-head records against the other heavyweights in your eloquent piece above:
Nigeria vs Egypt (8 wins, 5 losses and 5 draws to the Super Eagles): Everyone knows that Egypt were Untouchables between 2002 and 2010. They crushed all before them in that period.
Apart from that, I have no qualms for us facing Egypt. I don’t fear them at all and if we meet them, may the best side win.
Nigeria vs Cameroon (12 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses to Nigeria): Cameroon are the least of my worries. I never lose a sleep whenever we are to face Cameroon. I have 0 apprehension when we face them.
It is a misconception that Cameroon were ever better than us (in my humble opinion). They have managed to scape 2 controversial victories against us in Afcon finals but apart from that, we have by and large been able to match their physical approach with tactical discipline to get the measure of them several times.
Nigeria vs Senegal (7 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses to Nigeria) : Senegal have had chances to record at least 2 more victories against Nigeria but they seem to lose their defensive discipline when they can ill-afford to.
I am not overly concerned about Senegal. I think we believe that we can defeat them. Technically and tactically, I think we just have that edge against Senegal (this, despite some truly world class players in their ranks).
Nigeria vs Algeria (9 wins, 3 draws and 8 losses to Nigeria) : it is always a fascinating encounter and experience for fans when we play Algeria.
Their free flowing almost European style of play seems to always suit our boys well. Any match against them can go either way. I am not too worried.
Nigeria vs Ghana: (10 wins to Nigeria, 18 draws and 21 losses) : I never look forward to facing Ghana. It is hardly a good experience for me. In the context of football, I would rather avoid Ghana if I can.
Even with 10 men against Nigeria (like Chan 2014 and Afcon 2010), they still fancy themselves to get a favourable result against Nigeria. If we meet them, so be it. I will be disconsolate but at the same time I will wish our boys all the best.
Pls guys, Ghana is not a threat to us. In fact they aren’t even near a Threat to us at all. We should be talking about Cameroon that we’ve boxed into a corner not Ghana. Enough of this Ghana threat noise. No team even Ghana themselves would like to be paired against us bcs them go collect. Ask ivory coast why they dogded us and opted to play Sweden and one african country same period we were supposed to play them. We aren’t talking about past record (which favors us as well when head to head is considered) but we are talking about current form which renders the black stars no match for us. We boast of the youngest, vibrant and deadly team team in africa at the moment an no team in his right thinking senses would savour the chance of facing us. Enough of this Ghana hype, they don’t deserve it abeg as a matter of fact.
Rohr is unambitious, this is not motivational enough for the team. Nigeria should not be talking of just struggling to qualify for the 1/4 final, we can surely aim for the semi, what is that! Bulgaria, came from nowhere and played semi in 1994, after we defeated them, Rohr’s lack of confidence sometimes impacts the team negatively … this should be addressed.
I’m just disappointed reading comments from people I respect so much here, ( deo, Dr. Drey and co ) their analysis on Ghanaian national team.. Yes, they have players just like other few African teams, but I don’t see the fear factor in our present team… That fear factor has been our greatest undoing for the players born in Nigeria. They have that fear for Ghanaian national team. It’s definitely a different ball today. We have presently relatively young team which 70 % of them were born abroad, or left Nigeria as toddlers. That defeat mentality have already died off with old generation of eagles. We have new team with new philosophy, with a coach that is not doing badly and who knows African football pretty well more than most of us. I don’t have any atom of fear for Ghanaian team or any team in the world presently. Nobody gave eagles a chance when they messed the Cameroonian and Algerian National teams up here in Nigeria. I think Rohr knows the perfect approach for each and every team in Africa. He knows who and who to invite pending on the team he is about playing. we are presently not bereaved of players but my only problem with Rohr is his late changes, outside that, he is a good coach…and I will like to think he loves Nigerians as a people. No other white dude could take the nonsense treatment melted to him at the verge of renewing his contract with the national team. He took a pay cut and even accepted to be paid in our local currency, as against other countries coming for his services. This man have at least given us 80% of our best legs in every match, which is not obtainable in those days.. it has always been coaches and players disputes. Hopping from one disaster to the other. If not saisai vs Mikel, it’s Olise vs Vincent or Keshi vs osaze.. The list goes on….Our team is peaceful today, thanks to the coach; that is why the team is making progress, from 70th position to 29th in fifa ranking. Lastly, if we want to be champions, we definitely have to beat the best… You can’t be avoiding teams and still call urself the champ.
70% born abroad, let’s see:
Alampasu, Yakubu, Omeruo, Awaziem, Collins, Zaidu, Onyeka, Tijani, Agu, Etebo, Iwobi, Ejuke, Simon, Musa, Osimhen, Chukwueze, Iheanacho. That’s 17 of 25 born in Nigeria. I don’t know Martha too well but I make that 68% home born.
Once you add Ndidi, Azeez, Uzoho, Shehu And Maybe Onyekuru to the mix, we are looking at over 80% born in Nigeria in the call up.
Having said that, a Nigerian, is a Nigerian, is a Nigerian wherever they are born. That they are born in Lagos, Cotonou, London or Frankfurt does not make them any less a Nigerian.
I will rather play an in-form Mali, Senegal, CIV, DRC or SA team rather than play an off-form or Team B Ghana team. History and common sense has taught me a lot about Nigeria/Ghana rivalry. After the Algeria/Egypt rivalry, I dont think there is a bigger international football rivalry on the African continent. Even a Ghana team with 1 man down against Nigeria is still more dangerous than an on-form Ivorian team. We played an entirely home-based team of hearts of Oak and Kotoko players in Accra in 2001 in the 2002 WCQ with all our Kanus, Agalis, Olisehs, Finidis etc and we only struggled to pull a draw. We played a largely U21 side in 2010 AFCON semifinals and we lost…infact we couldnt get a clear shot at goal all through the match
It is not just by chance that they remain probably the only team in Africa with such a clear dominance over us in football (21:10 – that means they’ve beaten us more than twice as much as we have beaten them, so if we play 10 games with them, the max we can win is 2 out of them. They are likely going to win 4 times and we likely both play draw 4 times). There is something scary and dangerous about Nigeria-Ghana feuds, whichever team wins, there is always collateral damages….physically, mentally and spiritually. Ghana can loose 10 straight matches, but when its time to face Nigeria they will look different on the pitch.
For a place at the world cup, the last team we should dream of playing is Ghana. Lets be careful what we pray for…!
As much as i agree with the great rivalry between us, and their dominance over years, i think you have overstated their importance. There is no doubt that a Ghana team will always give us a run for our money, not just because they are historically superior but also because our style of play is almost similar. However, a statement that “even a Ghana team with 1 man down against Nigeria is still more dangerous than an on-form Ivorian team” is just an overstatement. Moreover, i would slightly agree that today’s Ghana team is not what it used to be and i’m sure they will also be praying to not face today’s super eagles.
Ghana-Nigeria match is always a battle of “who is superior”.
Just like in england we have (liverpool-man utd).
Even in their worst form either of them prefer dying on the pitch.
All Ghanian on the pitch will rather turn defenders just to prevent nigeria from scoring, a typical example was seen in 2010 afcon.
They had a corner which GYAN scored & every body turn defenders just to stop us from scoring & they did it perfectly.
The 2008 edition is still the most painful lost we conceed against Ghana to me.
Despite being a man down & the scoreline still 1-1;
Ghana tighten up their defence & killed our boys on a counter through late JUNIOR AGOGO.
Loosing to them was not the problem but how can a ten men team beat us even when YAKUBU scored our only goal from the spot.
It was so shameful & embarrassing to me.
Even in 2006; the played 5-4-1 formation against us just to nulify our hot OBAGOAL from scoring.
Have this at the back of your mind that Ghana would prefer dying on the pitch than let 9JA beat them.
Take a closer look at the Ghanaian weak national team which most people in this forum are urinating in their pants. This is the time we need to play Ghana, they are a very weak team at the moment. we have a better team than this current Ghana team…
Ghana will face Mali on October 9th, in Antalya, Turkey as part of the team’s preparations for the AFCON qualifier against Sudan in November.
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Richard Ofori (Maritzburg), Richard Ati Zigi (St. Gallen), Razak Abalora (Free agent)
Defenders: Benson Anang (Zilina FC), Lumor Agbenyenu (Sporting Club), Yakubu Mohammed (Azam FC), Gideon Mensah (Vitoria de Guimaraes). Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg), Joseph Aidoo (Celta de Vigo), Nicholas Opoku (Amiens), Kassim Nuhu (Hoffenheim).
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid), Emmanuel Lomotey (Amiens), Bernard Mensah (Besiktas), Baba Iddrisu (RCD Mallorca).
Attackers: Andre Ayew (Swansea), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), John Antwi (Pyramids FC), Eugene Ansah (Hapoel Shmona), Jefferey Schlupp (Crystal Palace), Samuel Owusu (Al Fayha FC), Kamal Deen (Nordsjaelland SC), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax SC).
Oga….how does this make Ghana a weaker team. You talk as if we are super stronger and our players are playing in UEFA Champions league teams in the top 5 leagues in europe. In case you have forgotten, these are the clubs where our own called up players also playing in….and they dont look super better than that of Ghana at the moment. The distinction is not as far as heaven and earth…Its still very close to call
Goalkeepers: FK Ventspils, SKF Sered, Sparta Rotterdam
Defenders: CD Leganes, Glasgow Rangers, FC Boavista, Watford, Fulham FC, SC Padeborn 07, West Bromwich Albion, FC Porto, Portugal
Midfielders: Vitoria Guimaraes, Leicester City, FC Midtjylland, Galatasary SK, Turkey, TSV Hartberg
Forwards: Al Nassr, Everton FC, England, SSC Napoli, Italy, FC Nantes, Villarreal FC, KRC Genk, Leicester City, England, Girondins Bordeaux, CSKA Moscow, Russia
Nigeria’s squad is better tho….but we don’t have a fantastic team either
Truth be told Drey, Nigeria team is way better. But that doesn’t make me join the gang that says we’ll have a free flow win if we meet Ghana en-route World Cup.
Even if all Ghanaian players are free agents and they face this our teams, They have this hyper-motivation, self-belief and rivalry in their head that they Must bring us down! And give us a run for the ticket. Even if they won’t beat us, a Ghanaian side on a normal day can never make things easy for Nigeria. That Rivalry is what makes it so. On the brisk of qualifying for the World Cup, I won’t pray to meet a Ghanaian that has free agents as their starting XI. We’re talking about Rivalry here not we have a better team or not
@Oso
when last did your world best BULGARIA that u are using as a yardstick appear in the world cup?
How many countries competed in that USA 94???
Pls i need answers….
Why didn’t u task your 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010 & 2014 SE coaches to bring home the trophy else this world would come to an end….
We are always too expectant even when we know the reality and the strength of our players even in their clubs….
We all know this thing…
90% of Our boys are still struggling in their clubs; a bitter truth.
Ask yourself how many of our boys are playing for teams like BARCA, MADRID, JUVE, INTER, AC MILAN, LIVERPOOL, BAYERN, PSG, LYON bcos as far as WC is concern, for the past 20yrs at least 2 players from one if not two of these clubs must be among the world cup winner….
I’m saying this bcos of the modern day style of football and not that ancient days football that BULGARIA manage to reach the final.
Pls don’t go to hiding, i need urgent answers
tankiu…
That Bulgarian team had Hristo Stoichkov (Barca legend and former ballon d’or contender), Balakov, Gorgeiev, Iordan Letchkov etc most of the them playing for top clubs in europe back then. That was the golden generation of Bulgarian football. Yes they lost to us 0-3 in their 1st match…thats because they largely underated us and what we were capable of. They went on to roundly defeat Argentina and hammered Greece with more goals than we did. They had a really quality team that period and the fact that they eliminated the likes of Argentina and Germany on the way to the semi finals says a lot about them.
Apart from EKONG, AJAYI, NDIDI, EHIZIBUE, OSIMHEN, CHUKWUEZE(of recent) that have a starting shirt & are playing regularly for their average clubs which of our starting eleven player is not struggling in their club?
@Oso…
We know this thing let’s stop deceiving ourselves.
We are not there yet but we are moving towards that path.
So while still praying & hoping that one day we will produce the finest player in africa that can win AFRICAN BEST at least 3-4 years in a row and even compete in the world for world best or even be among the first eleven in the world.
That is when we can start crucifying coaches if they fail to bring us the world cup trophy.
For now we want to better our previous outings and may be reach the semi final which is possible only and only if miracle happens.
Remember, we are competing with the best teams in the world cup; Teams with quality players compared to ours but luck can still help us to be the TURKEY of 2002 that reached semi final after edging out senegal at extra time
I also fear there might be some slip ups in the first round of qualifiers. My predictions are;
Group A : Algeria**, Burkina Faso, Niger, Djibouti
Algeria takes this group easily unless thunder strikes on some players and they have massive offdays, then Burkina Faso might pullout an upset.
Group B : Tunisia**, Zambia, Mauritania, Equ. Guinea
Please do not write off Zambia at all. They just appointed a new coach. They have a good league and they know how to play North African teams. Zambia will give Tunisia a run for their money. But Tunisia will edge it because Zambia will drop points against Eq. Guinea and Mauritania
Group C : Nigeria**, Cape Verde, CAR, Liberia
We want the SE to qualify but take Cape Verde seriously, because they naturalise players alot. top stars play for Porto, Fernabache and Boavista. They just appointed a new coach and they are serious about qualifying. They have an artificial pitch too. It will be difficult playing them away. CV and Liberia, big threats.
Group D : Cameroon**, Ivory Coast, mozambique, malawi
This is the Group of death. The reason why CIV do not want to play Nigeria is because it might expose them to Cameroon. I want to pick Cameroon because CIV do not have a GK
Group E : Mali**, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Uganda is no write off. This group will be decided because Uganda vs Kenya is an eastern rivalry which neither teams like to loose. Mali will beat Kenya home and away but Uganda will beat Mali in Uganda. Mali will edge this by a point.
Group F : Egypt, Gabon**, Libya, Angola
Here I see an upset. Gabon do want to qualify. They were taken out by Egypt the last time. Gabon can beat Egypt and they will this time.
Group G : Ghana**, S.A., Zimbabwe, Ethiopia
The old S.A. vs West African rivalry. S.A. do not currently have a coach but they have a good league. Ghana boast foreign players they hope to naturalise. Ghana seem to be always organised until the first ball is kicked and then they turn inside out with indiscipline. The one thing that will let S.A down is that they have a good pitch which always favour the west africans
Group H : Senegal**, Congo, Namibia, Togo
Senegal no doubt.
Group I : Morocco**, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sudan
Morocco, oh morocco. one moment hot the other moment cold. I dont know which morocco to expect. They would have left Herve Renard on the job. Fantastic players from start to finish. They recently put 5 past Zambia. They have a new coach from start to finish. It seems that there is nothing wrong with Morocco at the moment but they always find a way to bottle their chances.
Group J : DR Congo, Benin**, Madagascar, Tanzania
Here, I am going to go for Benin. Madagascar will upset Congo. Tanzania is no pushovers. 3 equally good side and one that can blow hot and cold (DR. Congo). Indiscipline will kill Congo again. They are not yet ready to go to a competition as massive as the world cup but I will never rule them out. Congo perform better against the bigger African opposition and consistency is not their friend. They will slip up against Tanzania and Madagascar again. Benin is currently on the rise and they seem to be attracting their diaspora as more players are switching allegiance.
Final 10
Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Gabon, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Benin
Top seeds according to current fifa rankings; Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco
2nd seeds; Mali, Gabon, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin
Now what do you guys think, Nigeria can take any of the 2nd seeded teams but I will advice we avoid Cameroon…lol
Nice compilation above @Edoguy.
I beg to differ in Group J though. How could you make MADAGASCAR a push over?? Madagascar!! Ahhh…we all overlooked them from the onset of this conversation though.
In a Group that has DRC, Benin, Madagascar, Tanzania. If the Madagascar team I saw @Afcon are still same team with same Coach, they will have a easy ride to the Knock out stage. And I don’t pray we meet them also. They are a really good team. Very Solid and desperate for Success. They want to make more history and qualifying for the World Cup will be their ultimate target. There President won’t mind spear-heading the whole Nation to come to the Stadium to support them. They don’t care who’s on their way. As far as they’re able to get to that stage, I don’t see anybody stopping them.
Madagascar might be able to pick a draw against Congo but not against an equal team that see them as rivals. Yes they will draw some points but in the long run, just because Benin has a better manager and better organised, I think they will get more points in the long run