Super Eagles coach Rohr sets World Cup and AFCON targets
Head coach, Gernot Rohr, has set a target for himself and his team ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualification and AFCON outing.
Rohr was hired as the Nigerian national team technical adviser in August 2016, eight months after Burkina Faso sacked him as their national football team manager.
But he quickly made his mark, leading the Super Eagles to become the first African team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
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Nigeria topped a group that had Zambia, Algeria and Cameroon. The Rohr-led Super Eagles also booked their ticket to the 2019 African Cup of Nations with a game to spare before picking up the bronze medal at the tournament proper.
On the occasion of his 68th birthday, Rohr has pointed at his most memorable achievements with the 2013 Afcon champions.
“Of course, the best moments in these last five years were qualifications for the big tournaments,” the former Bordeaux manager told the Nation.
“There were big victories also especially the 4-0 win against Cameroon and the victory against Algeria; as well as the interesting World Cup in Russia with the youngest team of the tournament and the bronze medal win in Cairo was also a good memory.”
Having qualified the Super Eagles for the 2022 Afcon in Cameroon, Rohr has a new task of guiding the African giants to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Nigeria has been drawn against Liberia, the Central African Republic, and Cape Verde. Rohr has set his focus on helping the Super Eagles power past these foes during the initial qualifying rounds.
There is also the small matter of leading Nigeria to the final stages of Cameroon 2022.
“My expectation now is to start well in the World Cup qualifiers and finish on top of our First Round group and qualify for the next round,” the veteran gaffer added.
“Then there is the AFCON in Cameroon between January and February next year and the World Cup qualification in March, so there are big matches and sensations to come.”
It is almost five years that Rohr started managing the Super Eagles, making it his longest spell at the helm of a national team.
The Franco-German tactician has previously been in charge of Gabon, Niger, and Burkina Faso.