Julius OkorieUnderrating an opponent in football is the biggest mistake any coach can make. Though no coach deliberately underrates another, statistics, ranking and pedigree often force them to do so, even if they don’t say it.
After failing to earn the three points at stake, against South Africa, on Friday, in the World Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles are condemned to win against Gernot Rohr of Benin Republic on 10th June in Abidjan.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOn paper, this should not pose a problem for the Super Eagles, but experience has shown that nothing is cast in stone, and an element of surprise can never be ruled out.
Nigeria, currently rank 30th on the latest FIFA listing, while the Benin Republic occupy the 97th position, which is about 47th place down the ladder.
The Squirrels, are still seeking their first qualification for the World Cup, but the Super Eagles have been there a record six times, with an eye set on the seventh after missing the last edition in Qatar, following a poor run in two-legged play-offs against Black Stars of Ghana.
READ ALSO: Finidi George Begins On A Shaky Note, Eyes First Victory Against Squirrels
Former Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, is the coach of Squirrels of Benin and only a few days back, they ran away with a lone-goal victory over Rwanda, to improve their position in Group C.
As it stands, they have four points with Rwanda and South Africa and an additional three points to make it seven, at the expense of the Eagles, will certainly not be funny but possible.
Rohr understands the Eagles and can predict the capacity of some of the players.
It therefore behooves the Finidi George-led technical crew, to avoid costly mistakes that can be capitalised upon.
Gernot Rohr may have been sacked by Nigeria for not too impressive a run, but the German remains an experienced coach, especially when it comes to African football, having managed five African countries; viz Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and now Benin Republic.
With Victor Osimhen and William Troost-Ekong unavailable, Victor Boniface, who missed the tie against South Africa, should be featured because of his fighting spirit. Eagles need to put all the arsenals in the armoury in this match.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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