On Tuesday night, the Super Eagles were brought back to earth [after the euphoria of their 1-0 triumph over Poland] as they were defeated 2-0 by the Serbian national team in a friendly match played at the Hive Stadium in London. The loss brings to an end a six-game winning streak, and makes it the second time- the first being the 2-0 loss suffered at the hands of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the 2019 Nations Cup qualifying match played at the Uyo Township Stadium in June 2017- coach Gernot Rohr’s team will be losing a game since he took over the reins of the Nigerian national team.
That the game was a friendly did not stop Nigerian soccer fans from having high expectations as they hoped the Eagles will build on previous victories over Argentina and Poland. The defeat did give us a reality check, and I am sure the coaches will have learnt one or two things from the game with a view of churning out a commendable performance at the World Cup which starts in about two months’ time.
But then there are some observations that can be noted from the match from the fans’ angle, and five of these, I shall discuss henceforth.

The Super Eagles is far from being a finished product
It could be posited that the reason for organizing this match is to fine-tune our preparation, and as such, one need not get obsessed with winning at all cost- that’s the truth anyway. However, what should give one concern is the lack of cohesion among the Nigerian players. This has always been an issue though the winning streak seemed to have veiled our faces, making us have some false sense of security but it is good a thing that this loss is coming at a time like this- before the World Cup. The inability of the team to play as a cohesive unit really affected our game play and the Serbs, being a side with great technical awareness, did capitalize on that as they split apart the (Nigerian) team with precision.

Bench is not strong enough
It is often said that a team is as good as its bench. Injuries- which is definitely an unfortunate occurrence for any player or team- and/or the non-availability of certain star player(s) is a test of the team’s depth, and for any team that is aiming to go far in a competition [in the magnitude of the world], having a bench that is richly supplied with talented and/or versatile players is a great gain. The Nigerian team appears to suffer much without a leader in the persona of John Obi Mikel as the team’s pivot is undone. Furthermore, not having capable replacements for players such as the team’s captain and Leon Balogun is a huge minus to the Super Eagles. But then, is it really about having the players or a matter of team selection? This takes us to the next point.

Gernot Rohr needs to fit square pegs into square holes
Although it was a preparatory match, it has to be said that now is not the time to keep experimenting with players in positions they are not accustomed with. Gernot Rohr should have known what his players are capable of and use them as appropriate, and even map out a tactical approach that will optimize the potentials of the players at his disposal. For instance; John Ogu should have been given more playing time in a deep-lying role right from the start- or immediately after the restart- in place of Joel Obi who did not contribute much to the solidity of the team’s midfield. Again, many are of the opinion that Kenneth Omeruo could have formed a better partnership with William Troost-Ekong in the central defense.

Clamor for Enyeama’s recall continues
A sizeable fraction of fans are clamoring for veteran goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama to be called back into the national team fold as they do not think either Fancis Uzoho- who, I must say, has given a good account of himself thus far- or Ikechukwu Ezenwa has what it takes to man the goalpost when Eagles eventually kickoff their World Cup campaign. It is believed that Vincent Enyeama will not only offer an assured pair of hands at the back but also help the team’s morale.

Clinical attackers needed
Another area of concern is the ‘strike force’ of the Super Eagles. Though clear-cut chances were few and far between but had the attackers been more clinical in front of goal, Nigeria would have had a brighter prospect of winning the game- or at least register a goal on the couple of occasions they made foray into the Serbian defense. Odion Ighalo remains right about the only proven out-and-out striker, and he did not even come into the fray until the 46th time. Looking ahead, the coaching crew needs to start looking out for good strikers to complement Ighalo and deliver the goals in Russia.

It is hoped that the coach would have rung the necessary changes that will set the team on a pedestal of greatness before the next rounds of friendlies against the Democratic Republic of Congo, England and Czech Republic.