RUSSIA 2018 WORLD CUP: Rohr sacks benchwarmers from Eagles
Nigeria’s senior team’s manager Gernot Rohr has vowed not to invite any player who doesn’t play
regularly for his European or Nigerian team to prosecute the country’s international matches beginning with the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Seychelles early in September.
Rohr informed Sportinglife.ng in Moscow that this riot act had become necessary as one of the fallouts of his observations about how Super Eagles fared in its Russia 2018 World Cup matches against Croatia, Iceland and Argentina in Kaliningrad, Volgograd and Saint Petersburg Stadia in June.
The embattled manager revealed further that he informed the players of the new development adding that there won’t be any sacred cows in implementing this decision, among others.
Rohr confided further that he was shopping for natural left footers for the Eagles here in Nigeria, Europe and in the Diaspora adding that he noticed that the absence of such players grossly affected the way the team attacked using its left side during matches in Russia, adding that,
‘‘I will also look for defenders who are comfortable on the ball with both feet and have good height. Of course, they must be skillful and be ready to be disciplined in their play.’’
Asked when he will submit his reports on Nigeria’s outing at the Mundial, Rohr stated that he will submit it to the NFF in morocco during one of the CAF conferences where he will meet with the hierarchy of the Nigeria Football Federation NFF to chart the way forward ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations slated to hold in Cameroon.