By Daily Sports on November 15, 2016

One of the major reasons why many Nigerian fans plump for a foreign technical adviser for the senior national team, the Super Eagles, is because of a long-held belief that European coaches have a higher probability of showing more tactical nous in tough in-game situations.

Since assuming his role as Technical Adviser of the Eagles, German Gernot Rohr has delivered three wins (the latest being Saturday's impressive 3-1 world cup qualifier win against Algeria at the Godswill Akpabio stadium in Uyo) in his three international games in the Nigerian dugout and not a few believe the renaissance of the fortunes of Eagles is well and truly underway with another European in the saddle of technical duties for the nation.

The game against the Dessert Warriors of Algeria could well signify the tipping point when Nigerian fans truly begin to accept that a Clemence Westerhof or another Johannes Bonfrere has come to lift the fortunes of Nigerian football to the place it is supposed to occupy in the firmament of international football. Algeria, complete with Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez who is a shoo-in to win the African best player award for this year, were out thought, outfought and in the end, for a team considered as the strongest in Africa, limped to an embarrassing defeat.

From the kick off, the Eagles tried to dictate the pace by slowing things down and not to appear jittery. It was a marked difference from the frenetically chaotic starts at home that usually ended in tactical lack of direction. The light skinned central pair of Troost Ekong and Leon Balogun looked tailor made for their partnership, while Elderson Echiejile kept the dreaded Mahrez at bay with detailed watchfulness.

Oghenekaro Etebo, John Mikel Obi and Ogenyi Onazi found the Algerian pressing difficult to cope with at times, but the trio performed with enough steel and skills to impress the thousands of fans, and help the young tripod of an attack led by youngsters Victor Moses (of Chelsea), Kelechi Iheanacho (Man City) and Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) who are causing a stir in the EPL with their fantastic performances, to thrive.

Nigeria edged the first half with two fortuitous goals, the first in the 25th minute when Moses made his way through into the Algerian box and saw the ball rebound off an Algerian defender into his path. He wasted no time in accepting the gift and slotting home for the opener. The second goal came when an Algerian defender on the near side of the assistant referee played Mikel on and after a moment of hesitation, thinking he was offside, the Chelsea man scored a goal that was as easy.

Mikel, who inexplicably (in many minds) have been completely frozen out of the Chelsea first team by new manager Antonio Conte, looked like a rejuvenated man for the Eagles. As captain, he has led remarkably, leading at times with his own money (as was the case with the football Olympics campaign that fetched Nigeria bronze). He controlled Nigeria's midfield in the first half with almost nonchalant ease, and looked solid when under pressure from an Algerian side that got physical many times. Mikel was Nigeria's most experienced and most assured player yesterday and it showed.

But then in the second half just before and after Algeria had pulled one goal back courtesy of a blistering strike from midfielder Nabil Bentaleb from way outside the Nigerian 18-yard box, the Super Eagles began to reel and Mikel was in the thick of it alongside Iwobi and Iheanacho. The marking became slack, the pressing hesitant and the ball distribution unsure. Mikel, like the rest of the team was at a real danger of conceding what would have gone down as an embarrassing equaliser after going 2-0 up and raising much hope.

Then, came the change, the substitution. The move that defined the game and could well define Rohr’s reign with the Eagles. As Algeria hounded the homers, Rohr responded by opting to take off Mikel (the best player of the Nigerian team) in the 83rd minute for Wilfred Ndidi. It was a decision that was as brave as it was decisive and well-thought out. The mood of the fans as Mikel walked out of the pitch seemed somewhere between shocked and confused. Not a few would have preferred to see Mikel remain in the pitch, at least for the perceived calmness and reassurance his mere presence seemed to offer the team. In a viewing center in Benin City, far away from Uyo, two viewers verbally revolted as they wondered aloud what the change was for. But unlike the perceived direction of a certain national political change in the country, Nigerian fans began to settle down and appreciate Rohr's move as the game flowed on.

One wonders how many local managers would have boldly taken that decision for fear of the pillory they would come under from fans if the move backfires. But Rohr had no time for such sentiments. He saw a problem spot and he had to fix it.

Ndidi added pep to the flagging Nigerian midfield and with Ahmed Musa already brought on shortly earlier, the Eagles mixed pace and pressing power to wrestle back the initiative from the Algerians.

A quick counter and a squared pass from Musa found Moses who calmly and intelligently slotted home his second and Nigeria’s third. The stadium went wild, viewing centers bubbled with joy and Rohr’s Eagles were in full flight.

The German manager has set out to bring back the excitement in Nigerian football in a calm and unassuming way. Away he has done with the grandstanding about disciplining players in public. In gunning for the Eagles job, Rohr most probably accepted the fact that he would have to put up with some baggage from his players and his employers. It is part of his responsibility to engage with that within the privacy of the pitch or the office and not to engage in a public battle of blame trading. So far, he’s succeeding on this score.

Surely there would be harder tests for Rohr, both on and off the pitch. Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions are up next and Rohr’s boys will have to deal with the Lions with steel and intelligence given the traditional rivalry between Nigeria and Cameroon. There are some discernible problem areas in the Eagles set up. The position of right back handled by Kenneth Omeruo has to be sorted. Omeruo is more of a center back than a right back and it showed on Saturday. Time and again the Eagles were penetrated from that area and were lucky not to concede against Algeria twice in the first half following some dangerous crosses that resulted from a lack of positional awareness from Omeruo. Shehu Abdulahi who replaced him after he picked up an injury looked a quicker fullback with some good promise even though question marks remain about his experience.

For now though, Rohr has earned the confidence of Nigerians hope. The improvements in on-pitch organisation is there to see, his conduct is dignified and Nigerians pining for the days when the country was at the top echelon of African football are smelling something special.

What would be good, as his mandate spells out, would be Rohr qualifying the Eagles for the World Cup scheduled to take place in Russia in 2018 out of this group B that has been aptly   termed the group of death. A Nations Cup title along the way and helping to build a strong foundation for the longer term progress of the game would be something truly special and would bring this German that Nigerians are beginning to truly appreciate into the level of the ‘Dutchgerian’ Clemence Westerhof.

Source Daily Sports

Posted November 15, 2016

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