Gernot Rohr and William Troost-Ekong are confident the Super Eagles will secure the three points against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone, in the second leg of the Group L matchday four 2021 AFCON qualifiers in Freetown, Completesports.com reports.
The Eagles will hope to put behind them Friday’s shock 4-4 draw against the Leone Stars in Benin City.
Despite taking a comfortable 4-0 lead, the Leone Stars fought back to secure a draw.
And speaking after the Eagles’ training session on Monday, Rohr said he is confident his players will emerge victorious come Tuesday.
“The expectations are to have a good match. We have discovered the condition of the stadium, the grass, also the hot weather. The travelling was okay, little bit long, but I think we can recover until tomorrow afternoon and of course our objective is to win the game.
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“We wanted to secure four points from the two matches to qualify which is still possible. I believe in my team, I think we can do it but it will be difficult like I said before the last match, we saw it in the second half that they have a good team.
“But we can play very well, we showed it in the first 30 minutes (in Benin). We want to play like that, playing forward, scoring goals but defending better than we did the last time.
“We have confidence and Nigerians should believe the players will fight and they will give their best. I think we are ready for this match.”
Rohr who disclosed that there are no injury worries says Victor Osimhen will be missed.
Osimhen, who was on target in the reverse fixture in Benin, dislocated his shoulder and had to return to his club Napoli.
“We will miss Osimhen perhaps another change in the team but the players that will get the chance tomorrow will fight until the end of the match.”
“No injury except the one by Osimhen we will miss him but other players are here to come in.”
On his part, Troost-Ekong said if the Eagles can replicate their first half performance which saw then race to a 4-0 lead, then victory is guaranteed.
He said:”We are ready, we just finished a good practice session and everyone’s ready for the game tomorrow.
“We prepare like any other game with this team (Sierra Leone) we don’t under-estimate anyone and if we can just bring what we did in the first half of the last game and make sure we keep concentrated and see out the game, I think we have a good chance to do what we need to do.
“They (Nigerian fans) will see a team that is very hungry to get the win here. We want to qualify as soon as possible and it is up to us to do it tomorrow.
The Watford defender commented on the Siaka Stevens stadium in Freetown.
“We are use to everything, we are Africans we’ve been to Asana, we’ve been to Benin and Uyo and this pitch is like any other pitch we will get in Africa so it’s no surprise for us, we will be ready to face them.”
By James Agberebi
39 Comments
It is not by talking tough, it is by getting the job done. We want the three point tomorrow, anything short of that will never ever be acceptable.
Heheheheheh…..if he doesnt talk tough now, it is still you people that will still complain that the coach is timid, he doesnt inspire confidence, he keeps over-praising the opponents…this and that. 200 million coaches each wanting his own individual will be done…Lolx
Must you antagonize every opinion that doesn’t suit you. Common man you have great soccer analytics but ur antagonism is very annoying and most times uncalled for.
MR. YOBO ALREADY TOLD US HE WANTED FOUR POINTS. THIS PIECE CONFIRMS IT. IF ANYONE DOUBTS, GO BACK AND WATCH THAT HIGHLIGHTS. LETS PLEASE STOP RANTS AND KNOW OUR SUPER EAGLES MATCH WAS A FIXED ONE. FINITO
I talk am earlier on another story thread, there’s a conspiracy by these players but to what means i don’t know. Guys should watch the highlights again with a clear head and they will see that the coach is not to be blamed here but the players
@dr Banks, even Garba Lawal said it that the players need to be blamed for everything that happened in Benin but let’s wait and see what happens tommorow before I say what’s in my mind.
U can see that even Ekong was talking all the pitcjythey av been playing is sub standard? and the idiots minister was talking like gods the other time. When he connived with Pinnick and take a match of that magnitude to that useless pitch in Benin. Sack him and let us hear word pls. When they won d 2 qualifying matches they were saying ordinary Benin and Lesotho but when drew they said how can from 4-0 with mere SL. Can someone receive good all the time withoutds the bad no our people doesn’t know that. Pathetic people everywhere.
Idiot can’t even construct anything reasonable to read. I doubt u finished Primary school with this scattered English…u for just write am in broken.
Hahahahaha….I thought it was only Dr.Drey that “…antagonizes opinions that doesn’t suit him…”. Let he who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. Lolz
This is not antagonizing we don dey drag this shit from another story when he attacked me first. So chill. I don’t antagonize people’s opinions I respect them. This fool cursed me out for no reason on another thread so this is not about his opinion it’s about his person so don’t be too forward.
Stories…!
The last time I commented on us having no moral justification chasing or feeling entitled to players other countries used their own resources to develop……my OWN OPINION….. Did you not antagonize and even insult me…? Abi that one too was as a result of “dragged shit from another thread”….???
Remove the log in thine eyes first before looking out for the spec in another’s. Let he who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.
@Dr dream so u don’t get ahead of yourself this is the reply I got from this fool for expressing my opinion. You will never see me antagonize anyones opinion because everyone has a fundamental right to free speech…..that is what the mouth is for (and to eat of course).
REPLY
tayo 13 hours ago
Don’t worry your eyes will soon clear. They were convincing during the world cup qualifier cos your father was the coach then abi? Very terrible people only thing they know is to run others down.
Where was the insult….you expressed your opinion and I countered the opinion saying that is a lame excuse.. Opinions being countered doesn’t necessarily mean insult….it is when people like this bastard start cursing other people’s father that should be considered insults.
Once again….Remove the log in thine eyes first before looking out for the spec in another’s. Just a few days ago….I made MY OPINION known about us having no moral justification chasing or feeling entitled to players other countries used their own resources to develop….you responded with vitriols and the harshest of antagonizing words. I intentionally ignored you because i knew this day will come….LMAO. So for you to now complain about being served with the same platter beats imagination
Bro can you paste my reply? It was not an insult replying with “lame excuse” is antagonizing? No log to remove here buddy and if countering your opinion is insultive then go back and dig your replies to other people. Remember you’ve been trolling on this site for years no be today.
Paste what I said now? I still stand by my words….moral justification is a lame excuse as long as they are Nigerian we can always go for them and the choice eventually is theirs. Moral justification shit is crying over spilled milk my guy.
Hahahaha….Of course i’ve been countering people’s opinions here for years….that’s why its a public forum. I am not the one playing holier than thou and then just a minute later doing worse than what you accused others of doing. Only a few days ago you used the f-word on my opinion and here and now you are wanting to give us lectures on differences between antagonism and counter opinion….LMAO. Pudge yourself of your own filth b4 seeing the filth in others….LMAO. Some people’s hypocrisy is legendary. LMAO
Yes I used those words and I’m not backing down were they direct insults at you personally? No but the moral justification was what it was directed to. I still have not insulted you maybe your opinion but don’t shove opinions down people’s throat if u don’t want the same to be done to you. Opinions are meant to be agreed in or disagreed on but you always have a smart reply for even the most honest opinion. No be only you sabi ball my guy and not everyone wants their ego inflated like yours lol.
My guy countering is one thing ….having a smart reply like others are dumb or trolling is a whole different thing. If I may ask how old r u?
My guy chill all ur comments for here no add $1m to your account after 6 years or more lol and I’m guessing u r close to 55 years old ……No time for back and forth. You win I have other things to do man lol. Young and ambitious.
We are going to defeat Sierra Leone hands down. Go go go… Super Eagles carry go….
SUPER EAGLES IN DISARRAY. THE DAYS OF ROHR ARE NUMBER AS S.E MANAGERhttps://m.guardian.ng/sport/super-eagles-camp-in-disarray-as-players-coaches-battle-rohr-over-poor-decisions/amp/
what happened on friday can only bring out THE BEAST IN OUR SUPER EAGLES nd it was the tonic needed to ginger our boys to win the 2021 AFCON……mark my words,it will be very difficult for any team to beat them henceforth
In addition to talking tough, we you to PLAY TOUGH as well.
We still believe in you guys. Come on boys!
What is your problem with Rhor? That man is better than all the Nigerian coaches, if the job is given to any of the Nigerian coaches we will be missing out on nations cup and world cup. Please allow the man to do his job, blame the so call minister & NFF president, they are the one spoiling our football with politics. What happened to the nest of champions in uyo? The best stadium in Nigeria for now.
Talking tough, we shall see in few hours, I hope these boys aren’t going to gun fight with brooms again, if Rohr starts Iwobi, Aribo, iheanacho, Onuachu in Freetown win or lose he should be fired. Use 4 4 2, we want fighters in our midfield in Freetown not these principal cup boys.playing these boys against those SL leg breakers, is like playing Spaco against ISI ibadan.
So Rohr has to do what YOU want or else he MUST be fired….Lolz. E be like say na you donate the land wia dem build Lagos National stadium
what arrogance?! so tell me @sunnyb your opinion (I even your tactical approach very funny) is the yardstick by which rohr keeps his job or not? I say again… what arrogance!
@Kingston, I’m sure u are new in this forum, great minds and most soccer gurus on this platform wouldn’t be sounding off the way you just did.i see your point though, I must continue to support Rohr win or loose, even with bad tactics I must continue to support him abi, you’re right my brother, I’m sure you’re enjoying Sai Baba govt.
So Rohr too MUST do your bidding or else MUST be fired even if he delivers…? That is the reason many of you hate him…..he refuses to do things the way YOU want. He is responsible for the team, for its success or its failure so HE should do things the way HE WANTS. If you knew more than him in the first instance why are you not the one coaching the team. His bad tactics has won him 56% and lost just 19% of his matches, something not many SE coaches in times past can boast of, so keep your support to yourself if you think its too expensive to support his bad tactics. But keeping his job IS NOT subject to doing your bidding.
Morning all, always follow your comments. We drew that game cause our mid field collapsed. Over time Nigeria always struggles to hold leads. I will suggest a Ajayi, Aribo, Etebo start in mid field, let us boss the middle and then pick off the game second half. Trying to start iwobi from start will only make us light weight again.
I think the way to negate the physicality of the SL players is to man mark them and deny them the ability to get the ball. We kept giving them space to pass and control the ball. Sanusi was guilty on several occasions, Iwobi exposed him alot, he was always dealing with 2 players, same problem Akpoguma endured on the right as chukwueze too wasnt helping. Our boys can’t afford to give them space, their 2nd and 3rd goals were due to us giving them too much space, tge 2nd goal which was a header, how can the SL guy get in between Ekong and Semi Ajayi, Semi was supposed to stay with a lot closer. Okoye too should have come out to claim the ball or punch head plus ball out. The 3rd goal, the ball was just laid to the guy to shoot with all the room in the world. it seemed he had days to calmly control the ball and pick his spot which isn’t acceptable. Our defense kept backing up instead of confronting the player. As much as Iwobi scored twice, he gave the ball away too cheaply to be honest and sometimes he needs to shoot more rather than look for the pass, he was guilty of this a few time. One obvious one was when iheanacho gave him the ball, he was wide open and should have shot the ball but decided to pass and the eventual pass was behind Iheanacho. Our boys also need to know that sometimes its better to play safe by kicking the bl out for throwing or something than try to pass or dribble in our half. Anyone wen say Etebo no try for that game needs to watch the game, to me he was one of the better players on the team. He worked his socks off and played the DM role very well in my view.
Other than the stupid goals (which were unforced errors) we conceded and some suspicious or unwarranted changes made by the coach, we played very well. We were the dominant team all through the game. If you doubt, please just watch the match again even the 2nd half but watch it without any preconception or bias against the team or coach.
Here is a link that I think SE fans who think GR isn’t worth keeping who like. Its the pulse of the nation its funny to watch.
https://youtu.be/UXrhPVFM6Cc
@sunny b, apologies if I sounded rude, my fault. am I new to this forum? it depends on how you define “new”.
however, you said “if Rohr starts Iwobi, Aribo, iheanacho, Onuachu in Freetown win or lose he should be fired”. this is what I pointed out as arrogance. this statement proves you are not concerned about the result of today’s game, neither the superior tactical capabilities of the coach when he defeats SL nor the abilities of the players you mentioned. except for onuachu, iwobi, aribo and Iheanacho have won more matches when playing for super eagles than they have lost. this is interesting… I will love to know the tactical reason behind what you said and let’s see if it can not be countered. remembering very well the crops of players we have.
I don’t know how many of my post you’ve read on this forum, what anyone who have will know is that my loyalty, I repeat, is to super eagles not rohr. the reason I stand by rohr is because since he arrived super eagles have in no small way improved. and I mean greatly. we are about to qualify for our third major tournament in a roll and like usual with few games remaining. before rohr came, we failed to qualify for afcon back to back! now tell me @sunny b that you can spot the difference? if we lose today’s match then that’s when we can panic, but until then, our eyes should be set on winning afcon.
I don’t care if rohr invites only defenders in his 23 man list; I don’t care if we win all our matches by a goal difference; I don’t care if all our goals comes only by set pieces! in football, the end justifies the means! “we played well but we lost” is story for the gods. that won’t give you the necessary three points. if all the matches we win from today to the day we lift the afcon comes by luck, I still don’t care – rohr stays! what’s the objective? win next afcon. if he doesn’t accomplish that then there’s a problem. if you say that rohr is just a lucky coach then that’s what we need. since all our “professor in tactics” but without luck have failed to qualify for afcon then let’s leave the one who all Nigerians presume they are better than but has luck stays. because accolades is all that matters in football.
#respect
nice analysis @proudly 9ja.
when it comes to the defense, my problem has always been ekong. the guy rarely engages the opponent’s attackers. that’s why it looks like if he is good. because when you don’t engage your opponent you will rarely make mistakes. that’s where I think omeruo have it better than him. omeruo shows that defensive aggression, but in doing so causes error. watch most of the partnership between ekong and balogun, you will notice that the bulk of the defensive duties is carried out by balogun. the match against Croatia, the same thing. according to whoscored, ekong got a below 5 rating! that’s bad. the guy rarely go out of his way to tackle or intercept, only in aerial duels you will notice him. the unapproaching method of ekong game creates space a lot. even ajayi have somewhat of this deficiency. watch the friendly against Brazil, ajayi and ekong is bad, space in our final third was just too much. that’s why I will recommend balogun and akpoguma partnership (the latter plays no5 while the former plays no6). or for a three man defense – akpoguma – balogun – awaziem.
even sanusi game has always been troubling to me. I agree that iwobi didn’t do his defensive duties properly but come on, the guy causes lapes too much. and without moses simon to keep tracking back (like against tunisia friendly) our backline becomes expose.
for me, etebo still got quality. I don’t know when this idea of etebo not doing well started. probably since aribo came to super eagles, all of a sudden people have forgotten who etebo is! I personally feel the best position we can apply him is the center midfield role, where his box-to-box ability is utilized. I don’t fancy him in the AM role. though he got the qualities, but whenever he plays there for us there’s something about our attack that doesn’t just feel right… maybe it is his creativity, his type is not that kind a no10 display (no10 such as KDB, juan mata, david silva, even iwobi). etebo is even our most consistent player. since world cup till now, how many matches can you say he did bad? I bet not up to five! ariball is good, but for African games I personally think etebo should bench him, that is, when ndidi has return from injury.
if I were the coach I will start with a 3-5-2 formation :
okoye
akpoguma – balogun – awaziem
ebuehi – shehu – etebo (plays no8) – iwobi – ola aina
Iheanacho – Musa
this way we keep our compatibility, giving us to press effectively and launch attack coordinately.
but all these talk is useless if the players attitude are wrong. getting it psychologically right matters too.
@Proudly 9ja, nice one bro, always on point. The midfield is my major concern I hope the coach would be bold enough to bench either Iwobi or aribo. We need more physicality in the midfield to complement Etebo against these leg breakers, @Kingston. Much respect my brother, welcome to the civility club.
@Kingston @sunnyb very nice observation. I too personally won’t mind Akpoguma and Baligun partnership too. Not playing Chukwueze in that your line up scares me as he is our livewire with osimen out injured. Even when Samu doesn’t play well like we have complained in the past, he is one person that u feel can do something meaningful. He has his flaws no doubt but he brings something that no other player presently in d team maybe with the exception of Iwobi brings which is pace, dribbling ability, directness and goals. Has Dennis recovered from his knock? if yes then I will play him ahead of Iheanacho, GR said all his players are healthy, so playing him will give us the same impetus as Osimen in terms of hustling, he scores too. Musa and Dennis can be paired upfront. Iheanacho can be brought in later on in my view. I also like ur midfield of Shehu-Etebo-Iwobi not that Aribo played badly just bcos we need to play jam body football. @sunnyb, I doubt GR go mek that mistake of only inviting 4 midfielders again if him escape this match lol. Mek GR no try remove balogun ooo except na stretcher dem use come comot the guy from field, contrary to popular blif say na wen Musa comot our midfield collapse, na wen balogun comot the SE collapse, him cover not only Ekong blushes but Sanusi own too which is what Ajayi can’t do imho. When GR motion to Semi to enter, I just begin start to dey curse my TV I swear. I don watch Semi for championship and EPL he is very jittery and rarely goes to meet attackers and try to dispossess the ball from then, he would rather back off inviting the player to attack. Anyway, SE all d way, mek una go win the game for 200 million Nigerians and una sef and GR. stand up, hold ur heads high, leave everything on the field, shed blood if need be and bring back victory shikena. Mek una no go do #ENDSARS ooo if una nor want mek Omo9ja, Jimmyball, Larry etc use mouth finish una today lol.
SunnyB and Proudly9ja, I really enjoyed reading the contributions above. Even though I would not – on this occasion – go into who should or shouldn’t play, nonetheless the build up to this match by fans has been fascinating. Keep it up all.
CSN is a funny blog which everyone hails the Algerian national team and their coach for being tactical sounds and many more , but nobody is talking about Algeria playing a 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe despite leading the score-line with 2-0 ( first half ).
Zimbabwe is also ranked 111 in the world . Hence nobody should talk about the Algerian Coach being superior tactically because football is not Mathematics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lsV5nW_ifQ
Naija i Hail thee
God bless Nigeria