Three World Cup Mistakes Rohr Can't Afford To Repeat In Egypt

Published: June 10, 2019

Cast your mind back to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, you will remember how the Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to live up to pre-tournament hype from many Nigerians.

The West African side didn't progress past the group stage as they finished third in group D behind Croatia and Argentina respectively.

Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr made some errors throughout their stay in Russia which played a key role in Nigeria's early elimination from the tournament.

With the 2019 AFCON set to begin in less than two weeks, Rohr has another opportunity to make things right and prove a point by winning the trophy/

Considering the quality of players at his disposal, Gernot Rohr has very bright chances of lifting the trophy if he avoids some of his World Cup mistakes, which are:

1. Late Substitution

The former Bordeaux manager was known for his late substitutions during the Super Eagles matches in Russia and this was partially responsible for Argentina's late goal in the last group game.

Rohr must inject fresh blood into his team whenever he detects that some players are tired or aren't giving their maximum performance.

2. Predictable Tactical Approach

It is one thing to have good players, it's another thing to know how to bring the best out of them.

The current Super Eagles squad is made of talented youngsters and Rohr must deploy more than one tactic to get the best out of them.

Super Eagles operated a 3-5-2 formation in their last two outings in Russia and they failed to make any meaningful impact because they were too predictable.

Rohr must have at least two tactical approaches to games depending on opponent's style of play and physical strength.

The versatility of the players must be totally utilized in different tactics to disrupt opponents plans and formation.

Alex Iwobi's No-show

The Arsenal winger was one of Nigeria's in-form players before the World Cup but the youngster was surprisingly dropped to the bench in Russia.

Though Mikel was present at the middle of the pitch, Iwobi's absence somehow affected the team's creativity because Mikel over-labored himself.

The same error mustn't be repeated by Rohr because the Arsenal star will surely complement Mikel and Ndidi's performance in Egypt by providing more clear-cut chances with his defense-splitting passes.

Ibukun Italoye