The Nigerian National team, the Super Eagles, finished the 2022 AFCON qualifiers unbeaten. The Nigerian National team recorded four wins and two draws, finishing at the summit of Group L. They managed to qualify for the African tournament with two games remaining after Sierra Leone and Lesotho played out to a draw on matchday five. Their outstanding performances during the qualifiers will make them among favorites to punters on the Betway app to go ahead and win the AFCON in 2022. Their coach, German tactician Gernot Rohr, was delighted with his team’s performances.
The coach also promised the fans that he is determined to make the Super Eagles play better football. Their qualification with two games at hand meant they went into the matches with less pressure. After the games, the head coach expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance.
The coach also thanked the Nigerian supporters for standing by their team even when the results were not very impressive. He cited the example when they drew against Sierra Leone, but the fans remained supportive.
In the game against Benin and Lesotho, Rohr gave John Noble and Anayo Iwuala of Enyimba game time. Another who got the chance to represent their country was Adekunle Adekele, Abia Warriors defender. Iwuala left an impression on his coach, who was full of praise for him. Rohr claimed that Iwuala’s performance was excellent.
The Nigerian head coach also suggested that he has been successful because there is less interference from the Nigerian Football Federation. For example, he claimed that he enjoys a free hand in team selection, and no one from the federation questions his decisions. He also suggested that the five years he worked with the federation’s president have helped create confidence and trust in their working relationship.
The Nigerian Super Eagles have now qualified for the African Cup of Nations twice under the German tactician’s guidance. Punters on Betway will look at the stability in the team and its leadership and add them to their favorites list for the 2022 AFCON.
However, Rohr has his critics. Nigerian soccer legend Henry Nwosu who helped his country clinch their first AFCON title in 1980, claimed that Rohr still has work to do. The legend said that even though he agrees that Rohr has done well, he has not earned the respect of Nigerians.
According to Nwosu, he would only consider Rohr as one of the best coaches in Africa if he leads the Super Eagles to the AFCON victory. He claimed that lifting the AFCON in 2022 was what every Nigerian soccer fan was expecting from the coach.
Many football enthusiasts share Nwosu’s thoughts in Nigeria. According to Rohr’s critics, his in-game decision-making is poor, and he lacks the tactical ability to turn around games. Some have even claimed that his substitutions are usually ill-timed.
However, the recent performances by the Super Eagles are a step in the right direction. Moreover, Rohr hit some good numbers compared to previous years. His team was one of the four that finished the qualifications without tasting defeat with 14 points. It is only Tunisia who qualified with 16 points who did better than Nigeria. To date, Rohr has overseen 17 qualification games without a single loss.