Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has blamed his side’s shocking defeat to the Wild Beasts of Central African Republic to the absence of Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi, reports Completesports.com.
The three-time African champions fell to a 1-0 defeat against Raoul Savoy’s men in their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Thursday night.
Karl Namnganda scored the decisive goal in the 90th minute.
Ndidi and Iwobi missed the game as result of injury and Rohr attributed his side’s shocking defeat to their absence.
“We missed the creativity of (Alex) Iwobi, we also missed Ndidi (Wilfred) so much,”Rohr said after the game.
Read Also: 2022 WCQ:’How We Stopped Overconfident Eagles’ – CAR Head Coach Savoy
“It was not easy for (Frank) Onyeka and first-timer (Taiwo) Awoniyi to come to this team.
“We have to recover, and we have to make some changes in the team.”
Rohr, who has been in charge of Nigeria since 2016, said the team are very disappointed by this shock defeat.
“The players are still disappointed in the dressing room and still can’t understand why we could lose this match,” he said.
“We dominated possession of the ball, we had several opportunities to score, but we did not score and very often in football, there was a counter and our opponents scored.”
The reverse fixture will take place at the Japoma Stadium, Douala on Sunday.
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COMMENTS
Lame.
Just take your ‘L’, and go thrash them in Douala this Sunday!!
Anything short of that? Hmmm.
I am sorry for your excuses you missed this and that because of your poor scouting team. We have Nwobodo, Azubike, Nwakali, Alhassan Ibrahim and many more these guys are destined to make a step up and should be given time in friendlies but you never call them all you do is play same horses without thinking of tomorrow if they are not here. Now we have lost at home against CAR.
When people highlight where and where we need to work on some shallow minded people will say you hate your country. I have always loved my Country regardless of who’s running the team. My only problem is when we don’t have the right leader to pioneer us. We are just recycling same mistakes, I feel so down from yesterday. I watched Renard using a small Saudi possess and win a very powerful Japanese team yesterday. We should wake up as a country and stop attacking ourselves instead of highlighting and correcting our lapses. Hon Minister should make provision for a better Sporting Administrative Atmosphere so that our football we rise again. We will win on Sunday but FIFA ranking will plummet!
ALL EXCUSES. SO WITHOUT IWOBI, NDIDI WE CANT WIN MATCHES ANYMORE, ARE THERE NO CAPABLE REPLACEMENTS FOR THESE PLAYERS. FROM ALL THE PLAYERS WE HAVE IN THIS WORLD NO ONE CAN REPLACE THESE TWO PLAYERS IN A MATCH AGAINST CAR.
THIS IS VERY SAD. THIS IS REALLY REALLY SAD, AND UNACCEPTABLE.
IF ONE SAYS WE UNDERESTIMATED CAR I WOULD AGREE BUT DONT SAY WE LOST BECAUSE CERTAIN PLAYERS WEREN’T INVOLVED IN THE MATCH.
WE WILL NOT ALWAYS HAVE EVERY PLAYER AVAILABLE, THAT’S WHY WE NEED CAPABLE REPLACEMENTS. WHEN WE DONT HAVE THE RIGHT REPLACEMENTS WE GET PERFORMANCE LIKE THESE.
Rhor please stop that flimsy excuse so if IWOBI AND NDIDI are injured during the cause of the match what will you do? Regradless of IWOBI and NDIDI absence (CRA ) are still no match to super eagles. We lost because you lack technical depth of the game
The players that replaced ndidi and iwobi are they not three times better and rated than the cars players?truly truly you might have the ingredients and fail if you don’t the techniques.
Ndidi was a key factor in our loss, And I was also watching the training Nigeria did not take this game seriously too many jokes on the field, When the coach is showing them drills some of them were making jokes with eachother and not even concentrating it was obvious at the time but even I felt like we would still win, however a part of me said to myself “these boys are not taking this training seriously”.
In saying that I feel Rohr has become too soft with the lads and we need a coch that can instil some discipline that is what I noticed.
But Ndidi is a big miss for any team in world football especially if he has been playing in your system for a while. The only time you realise his importance is when he is not on the pitch.
Rubbish excuse Mr rohr. Remember you are playing the second match without then. Common, go and sleep over the match and make radical changes in that midfield. I wonder why you failed to bring in that Kingsley Michael that was all over the pith against caoe Verde. He is better than frank onyeka. Then you should leanr how to break down a team that park the bus.
Tell your defenders to get serious. Drum it to the hearing of oshimen to stop wasting begging chances. He did that against Liberia too.
Rohr lack technical indept as a coach,you can form a formidable team without nwobi and ndidi?rohr team as no pattern,playing aribo as defensive md so wrong coach this dude doesn’t have the stamina to play that role,if u want the best of him play him as 8 or supporting striker,you can see the best of him just telling him to stay at the middle without heading forward,free him rohr,only God knows what transpired between aribo and rohr after the draw against Brazil,if I can recalled rohr statement vividly he said I prefer aribo not to score and win a match than aribo scored and the match ended draw,can rohr tell us why he instructed aribo to play from the back?is that aribo position?rohr is killing Nigerian talent,you lack creativity get ejaria on board and have a good pattern of play not kick and follow you are instructing the boys to do.
Lmaoooo “lack technical indept” wtf. Una wan blown person brain for here
even in this loss, I think it is clear Taiwo Awoniyi will be 100 times more effective than Paul Onuachu going forward.. Let me also say again. This loss doesn’t bother me in the slightest.. It was purely down to over confidence, they have learnt their lesson not to take any team for granted in football. so the next game will be a different showing a win.
Bro how many times tho… Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and, CAR. everyone is culpable for yesterday’s loss. From NFF down to the strikers that blew their chances. I think it’s better to have this happen now than a crucial stage like in the last 2 games. Now they know the last 3 games na do or die.
I feel the same bro. See the excitement Awoniyi brought to the front, fighting for every ball and making some good passes with Osimhen….I am not really pained…infact, it’s a much more needed reality check for us. However, I won’t blame anyone one. Osimhen needs to work on his finishing, there are two instances where all we needed from him was to lay the ball across the goal for his team mates, he decided to shoot instead. And iheanacho was just silly In the first half.
I have always known Rohr to have tactical deficiencies but he is still the coach for now. So we move
@footballfanatic and @Adeniyi.. We created all the chances. that goal frm CAR was scored in the last minute the boys had already switched off and didn’t expect that CAR would do what they did. They already resided that they would deal with them in the return leg. its no excuse but it is football.
Also the last time we played Sierra Leone the players profile have risen more since then.. Osimhen is proving his worth now. Seira A player of the month people are now seeing him as the one of the top attackers in the world. Iheanacho the same. Onyeka being a key player for Brentford. Calvin Bassey joing forces. I mean this team on paper is amazing coupled with Iwobi, Ndidi, chukwueze and co still to come in. I think it was Over confidence we went into this match thinking we have won before the ball is kicked. also lets not forget they are still young and gaining experience and this is most certainly a learning curb and as you guys rightfully pointed out, better it happens now than later. hence I always say interegrate the talented players sooner than later so they can go through these experiences early, don’t waste space on players who have given all and have no more to give.
Don’t worry my brothers it was purely overconfidence. My only worry is evil forces with different agenda’s using this defeat as an excuse to clamour for local based players then that will be a disaster.
Awoniyi looks stronger and sharp upfront than onuachu.
@yusuf adebola and he is much faster too. that is the deciding factor, Osimhen even said in their youth days when asked back then “who would you say is another quick player in the youth team”. he pointed out Chukwueze and Awoniyi
In qualifiers you do get one or two disappointing games but that does not make the coach a bad head.We should be patient,the same coach has made us smile a lot of times what matters is qualification,and I believe things would work in our favour in the end.
Sometimes things happens for a reason.We may get this result to put us in a situation to meet a team that could help us with an easy passage to the world cup in the second round.
Lets us support the team,we need this kind of situation to know our grey areas make positive changes which will help the team to achieve greater heights in the future.
Let us be patient.
Nigerians, una Sabi worship oyinboooo! Haba, if na 9ja coach dey in charge now we go de shout sack am, sack am. I remember when Siasia’s team play draw with Guinea , we all joined hands to crucify the poor man. But each time G Rohr’s team perform poorly we start looking for reasons not to blame him. Rohr is TACTICALLY DEFICIENT AND IT IS THE NO 1 PROBLEM OF SUPER EAGLES, SECONDLY, HE IS VERY VERY LAZY. IF NFF DOES NOT WAKE UP TO EITHER SACK HIM OR HIRE A TECHNICALLY SOUND ASSISTANT FOR HIM THIS TEAM WILL GO NO WHERE. When some of our former internationals started warning us about the inefficiency of the coach some of us on this platform resorted to insults and abuse of our hero’s I hope you guys can swallow your pride and apologise to hero’s like Finidi George, Amunike ,Akpoborire etc. Presently, we have a lot of talents,so there is no excuse for failure .
What Gernot Rohr needs to do is inject fresh ideas into the Super Eagles’ approach to matches.
There is no point blaming the absence of key players because the those available yesterday more than match the Central African Republic players man-for-man.
Rohr should know that the Super Eagles are becoming too mechanical and predictable under him (even when results go our way).
The Super Eagles created chances that aren’t always clear cut and compelling to slice open defences. Sadly for them yesterday, the few chances they did create were wasted.
But even those chances were as neat as one would expect from Nigeria.
That said, the Super Eagles were also unlucky at times and the Beasts of CAR took their chance very well. They had a game plan which Rohr could not nullify.
It is now back to the drawing board for Rohr and his boys. They should be able to defeat CAR away based on what they learnt from yesterday’s encounter.
Mr.Rohr and Nff should please resign before fans start serious war with them. We are tired of excuses anytime we fail. Corruption in Nff is too much and we can’t beer it any longer. Yobo has nothing to do in that position, Rohr has nothing to offer. He lacks technical ability. Super eagles needs a sound Coach now and a new Nff president.
No No No, Nigerians stop panicking.. Don’t you remember Ivory Coast also faced the same problem, so too Algeria before the shaped up. It is always like that in Africa. the Higher your profile the bigger you feel than the rest. na so ndi Africa dey behave lol. I am just happy that they got humbled now and can learn from this and take every game seriously.
Nothing was really wrong with the tactics they played well. Please I would rather a Rohr stays than get a local coach that will be a big disaster because we will really suffer with home based player V European stars debates and stress. especially now World Cup is around the corner, we can’t afford to make such a mistake and drastic decisions that will only result in Mediocrity. lets leave our judgements until after the reverse fixture. and you will see they will be vindicated. This defeat was a learning curve. Don’t look down on your opponent Simple!.
For me, it was the pitch. Nigeria is undercutting themselves by allowing their Team to play in such a horrible pitch. They couldn’t string 3 passes together. Change the venue. This is the world cup qualifier for christ’s sake.
If iwobi,ndidi is not there we are not going to win, No iwobi and ndidi no party, that is not a world cup team.
@Adebola Okay let me ask you this, take out Virjl Van Dyk, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane from Liverpool do they have a team?? and will you be able to safely say they will win the league. okay lets just use Van Dyk what happened to Liverpool when he was fit 2 seasons ago and what happened when he was Injured Last season Yes 1 player can make or break a team. That is football. If you did not know now you know. Especially a very important 1 Like Ndidi in Leicester and Naija’s case and, in Liverpool and Holland case Van Dyk
Thats why if you noticed when Garba Lawal was making noise about players are players anybody can fill anybody position. I started asking myself did this guy even play ball or maybe it was his clone talking.
@Prof. Tamuno Offiali… seeing your post above one will instantly reckon you know your football!
I like how you suggest players and write go get him beside it… Rohr started the hype about getting young Mikky Olise but it can be said that Algeria is almost snatching him from under our noses!
You mention Ejaria who has become available with his switch permanently bagged… Rohr will say he is behind in his pecking order… I have not seen a fraud so confused with an avalanche of stars to draw from…
Bring any sparkling light close to Rohr, it goes dim automatically… see how there was nothing noteworthy of our attack yesterday… meanwhile those those are heavy hitters at their clubs… teams play according to the mentality of its manager…
Take Athletico Madrid with Diego Simeone in charge… his hard and tenacious midfield playing style is easily seen… take Mourinho and all his teams… never say die spirit with tactical savviness… take Mancini… check!, take Spalleti… check!,… take Tabarez (Uruguay)… foxiness… check!, take Martinez… Klopp… all of them… check!… check!!…Check!!!
We got ourselves a cloth-eating moth for a coach… clandestinely smuggled across the sahara… then through the sahel… and dropped on us like an Egyptian plague from eon ages ago… failed in Gabon… sacked!… failed in Niger… chased away!! What a shame… spoon… we wont ever win with this cloth-eating-moth!
His asslickkers are so embarrassed… they have ran out of their usual defence nuggets for the fraud… hahaha!
Rohr’s ball-sniffers are shook! Hahahaha…
I agree with you on Rohr. The personnel is not our problem, how to effectively utilize them is.
Am ashamed that any coach worth his salt will givr excuses for failing to beat CAR.
And @Ugo you still are unable to understand my position. Ndidinis vert important to us BUT (emphasis mine), you dont need him for Cape Verde, CAR etal. HABA!
Check the results. Its only Nigeria among the top ranked African nations who failed to beat a minor. Mali roundly trounced its opponent. Ditto Cameroon.
No single player paraded by CAR yesterday starts for a top 10 European club. Is that the kind of opponents to rue the absence of Ndidi and Iwobi?
I bet you Akwa United or Enyimba will beat them in Surulere.
@Prof like you clearly pointed out they finished in the top 4 as you put it by mere luck on the last day. it was either them or Leicester where as, when Virjil Van Dyk was fit they finished 1st the season before and now his fit again they showing you quality football against Man City and are now seen as the bookies Favourites even above City and Chelsea so what is your point. You just proved me right. Secondly let me tell you bros. KANTE IS NOT ON Ndidi’s level when it comes to closing down, interceptions and ball rcovery. Hence when Ndidi is missing for Leicester they struggle. Go look at the stats if you have time as to how many games Leicetser won when Kante was there and Injured as oppose to Ndidi’s tenure at Leicester. Bros Thats why Ndidi when he is fit for the entire season, the coach rarely produces a team sheet with out Ndidi’s name being the first on it. And also why he constatly scores higher than Kante and any other CDM in the league in interceptions and recovery. You use the Spain and Italy game as reference forgetting the dynamics and stakes were different for the two games Italy spain was a semi final a do or die on legged affair with two teams on par with one another. Whilst Nigeria was sitting pretty a top playing against a team thats way below them in the Fifa rankings whilst parading the most exciting young talent in Africa today.
Hence i clearly stated the boys lost due to Over confidence and inexperience. Also stating that I am not in support of Rohrs tactics in the past I have also on numerous occasions stated that Rohr is only looking good because we are parading quality players. Many a times I am the only one who is not in support of his double standard when it comes to some players criteria for being called up to the squad and i get attacked my comments get disliked up and down and i cam swear you are one of the culprits. Let me just get this straight most of what yiu countere my comments with above especially regarding SE between 2014/15 as you put it I am probably the one who shared that knowlegde with you.
Please before commenting see the bigger picture or at least follow the threads.
@Prof i will put again in a way you will understand. If we must fire Rohr we should have a Herve Renard or some of that calibre and is foriegn lined up. Indigenous coaching system does not work in Nigeria because they will easily succumb to the pressures of the enemies of progress which will result in the same outcomes as the past Indigenous coaches we have had maybe even worse.
Then you will really complain. I am all for Letting Rohr go but lets get Herve Renard or some one similar in stature and outlook of the game
Its unfortunate we are here again, to tell 200 million Nigerians there is no replacement for Iwobi and Ndidi is an embarrassment,it is also a wrong signal if not tackled on time,Nigeria Vs France 2014 world cup was a reminder, when Matuidi injured our main midfield enforcer (Ogenyi Onazi),other countries in our Nations cup groups are watching same with our world cup opponents if we qualify. Coachie Lagos fans no nice o.
From this guy’s comments one can easily detect his level of intelligence and technical ability. Even though they have shown to be the best in their positions, you don’t have to rely on Ndidi or Iwobi to win against minnows like CAR. The set of players you have are enough all you need are the right tactics. I have not doubt about qualifying from this group but it is doubtful you will be the one to lead SE in the final stage because I don’t see you winning the next ANC as agreed in your contract.
Forget about those regressive on this forum, stay focus and you may still prove me wrong . But, you’ll need to overcome these challenges:
1. First, you were roaring the other day about not having players in top 5 leagues, yet teams with players from 4th division and unknown teams (Madagascar, S-leone and now CAR) have proved you wrong.
Second, You have been leading this team for 5 years and it’s difficult to point at one playing style or routine tactics from your team.Stop fielding players in wrong positions. Simon thrives better on the left flank that is where he plays in his club and has provided numerous assist, Aribo is not a DM, he plays close to the opponents box and knows how to create goals.
Third, you had ample opportunities to create great competitions in the team bur you chose to be rigid with the use of players. Keshi(RIP) didn’t have the luxury of players like you but he instilled confidence winning mentality, and tactical flexibility to win ANC against all odds, qualified Togo for its only WC appearance and reached the last 16 with SE at the WC.
Four, your favoritism and sentiments won’t take you anywhere. Any sane coach will not select Ekong ahead of Akpo, or bench Okoye for Uzoho, or select Musa/Kalu ahead of Dennis,in any numerous cases players that performed really well in friendlies are dropped for those that didnt show up why not groom creative guys like arcus or Tijani.
Five you have continued to neglect our youth players. Most top teams Europe are integrating their top youth players into the team the likes of Pedro, Ansu, Karim Adeyemi etc. There is nothing wrong in adding new players. Go to Sweden, Amoo is all over the news, Go and watch Adewale Oladoye in Gent and you will realize that we have Ndidi clone in height and playing pattern, Nwobodo is performing week in and out.
Highly technical coaches see (Guardiola, Touchel, Mourinho, Klopp) availability of options as good headaches but technically inept and trophless coaches like Roar will always find it difficult to integrate new players into their teams because they see it as bad headaches.
@Larry i cannot argue with you oo. It is sad. This coach is shooting himself in the foot with not selecting on Form take a look at England and Southgate. Who are you. If you are not on form he will select who is that guy doesn’t look at face oo. He has included Fikayo Tomori And Tammy in his current squad because they are in form. Rohr will soon learn his lesson if time is not taken for this looking face when selecting teams. I mean can you believe look at Awoniyi for example. Yes he didn’t score but his movement his play was much more than Onuachu yet it took Injuries to how many players and begging from fans for him to get a chance. I mean Onuachu gives this coach nothing when invited yet he sees a boy Scoring goals for fun In Germany but the fans needed to clamour for his inclusion or Onuachu it was again if fit. Thats Rohr for you in a nutshell. It his approach to everything he does.
Cant agree with you less. Brilliant submission. I even forgot to add Dennis to my pool.
I still maintain that a team made up of the following will beat CAR home and away:
1. Adeleye
2. Ebuehi
3. Bassey
4. Bonke
5. Shehu
6. Omeruo
7. Akpoguma
8. Simon
9. Awoniyi
10. Aribo
11. Ejuke
No need breaking sweats with our regulars. CAR is made up of semi professionals and farmers for God’s sake.
Lol
Awoniyi is ahead in my opinion than onuachu in the Super Eagles. If he plays with quality midfielders who give him good passes he will score goals for the Super Eagles.
Balogun’s time in the National team is rounding up. You need to look at the games he plays for rangers, check out clips of his games in the Europa league, he has lost pace, he is slow to getting back into position. He shouldn’t be starting games. He can come in for the last quarter of a game. Lets use younger and stronger defenders. Coach rohr called up some defenders but never used them. Balogun is on his way out of the,team.
Ekong is,really above average but he gives his all on the pitch. He needs someone who will cover him as well. Lets use a younger Akpoguma and let them form an understanding together.
Rohr should get creative midfielders in the team.
@Spotfan Onuachu is a different type of striker that offers what others doesn’t have. We have easily forgotten how he bailed us out in our last set of Nations cup qualifiers. He thrives on the aerial balls, so many were wasted yesterday. I believe he provides our plan B, when plan A, is not working. Which was really needed when our opponents have found a way to stifle Osimhen. All he needs is a good aerial ball, then leave him to do the damage, like he did against Benin. When both Osimhen and Kelechi could not break the Benin defense, then came Onuachu who headed in at 90 2 mins, that is what he can do. I guess, he had fitness, issues, if not he would have rescued a goal for Eagles. He was sure missed in my opinion. Check his goals, 70% are aerial and not even a Osimhen has a better aerial threat than him. So we need him as our plan B, striker.
@ sportsfan, please go and watch the match again. The CAR had similar chances from Ekong position twice before they scored the goal. His slow recovery and indecision in marking attackers costs us the match. May be the captain band is affecting him. The obvious candidate for that band is Ndidi (topic for another day).
The match against the leone stars is another example, i hope you have not forgotten what happened the moment Balogun left the pitch. Eagles have conceeded more number of goals with Ekong on the field than Balogun.
Balogun is faster, better in passing, positioning, and tackling.
I will continue to say the truth, Mr. Rohr has nothing to offer. Fans who wish him to continue will regret for keeping Him during the nations cup. Nff are also a big problem in the super eagles team. Nff to appoint Joseph Yobo as an assistant coach of super eagles when we have better coaches in the Npl is so questionable. Yobo has nothing to offer in that position.Is better for Mr. Pinnick to resign and Mr. Rohr and Yobo should be sack now and new technical adviser should be appointed for our dear super eagles.
Guys,i just want to say this since nigeria lost to Argentina at the group stages of the last world cup because of Rohr technical indeficiency i am sorry to say this Rohr fans should not be angry he is not the type of coach to be handling super eagle is just unfortunate he is still with the team because of nff lack of plans for nigeria football my God give us the right mind to the the right thing.
Shey Rohr doesn’t have assistants ni. Abi what’s all these Rohr Rohr Rohr. Abeg give us sound technical assistants biko