Gernot Rohr says the goalkeeping department in the Super Eagles is still a problem describing it as the unlucky area in the team.
The Eagles have not had a settled goal tender since the departure of Carl Ikeme, who was forced to retire from professional football after he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2017.
Since Ikeme’s retirement, the quartet of Francis Uzoho, Daniel Akpeyi, Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Maduka Okoye have all been handed the opportunity to be in goal.
“In the goalkeeping department we are unlucky,” Rohr said on Brila FM. “We lost Carl Ikeme who had to stop his career and the injury to Francis Uzoho. Already Uzoho who didn’t play for his club was a problem and then he came back and is injured now for six months. But the surgery went well and he’s on the right way to come back.
“Now we found another goalkeeper, Maduka (Okoye) from Dusseldorf in Germany. He is very young and we must give him time to adapt to African football.
“He did well against Brazil but it is not yet the moment for him to start a game because he needs to know the team better. But the future is for him, he’s only 20.”
The German tactician however expressed confidence that with the calibre of goalkeepers in the team, it will bring out a healthy competition among them.
He added:”I think we will have a better competition in the goalkeeping department and we are still working on it. And with my colleague Alloy (Agu) we are working a lot and we are trying to help Uzoho comeback very quickly.”
By James Agberebi
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COMMENTS
“In the goalkeeping department we are unlucky,”
“Now we found another goalkeeper, Maduka (Okoye) from Dusseldorf in Germany. He is very young and we must give him time to adapt to African football.
“He did well against Brazil but it is not yet the moment for him to start a game because he needs to know the team better. But the future is for him, he’s only 20.”
According to this statement from Mr. Rohr, his team still have a long way to go.
We can see the level of coach Rohr now.
If you are in doubt about Oga Rohr’s ability to take this team beyond this level, you better change your thoughts.
How long did it take Ikeme to becomes Nigeria no1?
50 years ba?
No wonder oga Rohr was benching Osimeh in Egypt. He never learned. So Okoye is a baby and until he turns 100 yes for this our world class coach to give him a chance? Wonder shall never ends oo.
Coach Rohr fans, are watching ba?
God bless Nigeria!!!
@omonaija give it a rest will ya? I’m not one of Genort Rohr supporters, but the man has earn the right to do what he thinks is right for the super eagles.
Omo9ja, you’ve got a point here. Oga Rohr should be more adventurous. Let him start exposing Okoye to the wild cats in low-stake matches. One only rolls up experience by learning while doing. If Okoye can hold his own against Brazil, which African team will make him wee in his pants?
I think Rohr’s keeper trainer is a ‘yes man.’ Since he is clinging to his job, he is too scared to give Rohr a dissenting but sound professional opinion. Otherwise they would have dispensed with Ezenwa, who is practically a place holder—like zero I primary school maths—and brought in a trainee keeper while looking forward to C’ 21 and Q’22.
Aren’t Germans adept at long-term strategies?
“…How long did it take Ikeme to becomes Nigeria no1?…”
Ikeme was first invited to the SE in 2008 in preparation for the AFCON, but couldn’t make the team. He was also invited to the SE in preparation for 2010 WC camp but got injured. Ikeme was already an experienced 30 yr old and had played over 270 career games as a 1st choice goalkeeper for teams like Wolves, Middlesborough, QPR and Chalrton Athletic both in the premier league and the championship when he made his debut for SE. He came vastly experienced.
Okoye is just 20, he hasnt even played for the 1st team of his club yet. He is still playing for the U19 and B teams of Fortuna Dusseldorf in the 4th division of German football. He has never been invited to ANY national team before until when he was invited for the Brazil game. He has only kept 11 official matches in the German 4th division all his career. At international level, he has less than 30 minutes of football experience. You cant risk such inexperienced goal keeper who doesn’t even know all his teammates yet in crucial qualifiers.
If he plays Okoye in the qualifiers and we loose, it is still folks like you who will come out and start ranting online. Before it was Afelokhai you were yelling all over this space, after choping 4 from togo, Afelokhai’s name has suddenly disappeared from your lips….LMAO
Rohr has said he his for the future….same way he groomed Osimhen form 2016 till now that Osimhen is finding his feet in the SE is the same way he will groom Okoye too.
Leave Rohr alone and go and look for something useful to do with yourself. Wait till when you are the SE coach, then you can be fielding secondary school children in the national team sef.
If Fortuna Dusseldorf who are campaigning in the 2nd div of German football are not “Risking” Okoye as their 1st choice……is it in crucial competitive qualifiers at national team level that we should be ‘risking’ him…?
He will definitely have his shift in friendlies, just as the likes of then young shorunmu, enyeama, ejide, uzoho had their shifts in friendlies, before being thrown into the deep end of competitive matches
Omo9ja….see your afelokhai o…!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKv-CnSl0yQ
hahhahah drey no kill me with laff
You and your goalkeper trainer are confiuse.
_ Crisis? What Crisis? _
Without listening to the entire interview to which the quotes in the article above were derived, it is hard to draw a detailed conclusion on what Rohr is trying to say.
But one thing jumps at me from the excerpts quoted in the article : Rohr does not appear to rate Akpeyi and Ezenwa (anymore).
His number 1 is undoubtedly Uzoho while Okoye appears to be number 2. What of Akpeyi and Ezenwa (I hear you ask); stop-gaps.
I think Akpeyi’s recently stellar run of fun coupled with Okoye’s relative inexperience led to a recall for South African based net minder in the crucial Afcon qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho.
Already, Okoye is getting more game time and his market value has increased from £45,000 to £135,000 from January this year to September when he was called up against Ukraine – The Niger-German would featured for Nigeria against Brazil shortly afterwards.
With world cup and Afcon qualifiers billed for next year, you get the sense that Okoye’s development will be closely monitored.
If he should manage to seal a transfer to a division 2 side in Germany with regular performances, then even if Akpeyi emerges as the Fifa player of the millennium, it will Okoye who would man the post for Nigeria in coming matches (if Uzoho continues his convalescence).
Speaking on brilla fm recently on his stay at the Super Eagles camp, Maduka said: “It was really a good experience, with older guys like Musa in the camp, I learned a lot”
He might yet come to put all his has learnt to use with crucial games coming up next year. Tough and interesting times ahead for this young Ibo man from Düsseldorf.
https://youtu.be/miJRzPWLzXY
Hi Dr Drey,
Thanks for the clip you provided above. It was the first time I saw Afelokhai in action and I have to say that he tried his best.
Having said that, there appears to have been some Akpeyi-moments in the highlights.
One Akpeyi in the national team is bad enough for many, 2 Akpeyis and you surely want to make many people cry!
I have a lot of sympathy for goalkeepers. Whereas outfield players can afford to make mistakes, there is no hiding place for goalkeepers.
An,in the case of Akpeyi, once a goalkeeper makes a number of mistakes, they are like broken eggs in the eyes of fans: no amount of superglue can repair the damage.
Once humpty dumpty has had a great fall, all of the kings horses and all of the kings men will not be able to put humpty back together again!
Deo….I cant agree with you any less.
Goalies often and always at the receiving end, especially when they have become marked men by the fans. Unfortunately, it takes many matches for that same scenario to occur, if at all it ever occurs again, for them to learn from it enough. Unlike outfield players who can have same scenario within the same match. That is why it takes scores of games and years for goalkeepers to be experienced enough for whatever level they are playing in.
Huelho Gomes was never a bad goal keeper, but he never enjoyed the love of fans…Loris Karius wasn’t a bad goal keeper, but i wonder if he can walk into Anfiled today without stumbling…David James IMHO is one of the greatest goalies of the premier league area, but I doubt if he will ever get such recognition.
I am not a fan of Akpeyi, infact my heart skips anytime the ball is approaching him. But to win the player of the Month……not man of the match….not club player of the month…..PLAYER OF THE MONTH IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE (A goalkeeper)….wow…that’s something spectacular if you ask me. The young man sure does somethings right sometimes.
I dont know which coach in the world will drop a POTM award winning goalie on the bench for a 20yr U19 & B team goalie in crucial international qualifying games. I dont know any. Someone can pls help with names…..but i doubt if there’s any.