Indications have emerged on what the final squad of the Nigeria Super Eagles may look like at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Though the Russia 2018 will begin in June and the national team coach, Gernot Rohr appeared to be working in time to get the best out of the best legs on his final mandatory list to be submitted to FIFA.
Hence, barring last minute injury worries the coach major be looking for 11 players to add to his ‘12 untouchables’ to make the mandatory 23 man-squad that will wear the Nigeria’s green white green jersey at the football fiesta.
The ‘12 untouchable’ players who have been recurring decimals in Gernot Rohr’s equation include; They are skipper John Obi Mikel, Eddy Ogenyi Onazi, Abdullahi Shehu, Troost Ekong, Leon Balogun, Willifred Ndidi, Moses Simon, Odion Jude Ighalo, Victor Moses, Elderson Echiejile, Alex Iwobi and Ikechukwu Ezenwa.
If the rule has said only 12 players should be taken to the World Cup, it would have been sealed and delivered situation for the Nigerian squad. “These are very sure bets to make the list of Rohr,” said Desmond Ekwueme, a renowned social commentator and impeccable football analyst.
“They are Rohr’s boys,’ he also said in an opinion online adding that the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa, Ogenekaro Etebo and Mikel Ogu may have to prove more to Rohr during the pre-World Cup camping and tune up games that they have the hunger to be in Russia.
“This does not suggests that they are not good enough or done enough to gain “automatic shirts” but they may not have convinced Rohr enough that he should not look elsewhere.”
Already Victor Moses, Elderson Echiejile, Odion Ighalo, Moses Simon and Leon Balogun have all pulled out of Nigeria’s clash with Algeria in the final match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Constantine, on Friday.
“Already, we have six injured players, so we have to make six changes. It will be an opportunity to see players who didn’t play so much and it will be very interesting to play Algeria in these conditions. They have changed their coach and have not won a game at home yet in the qualifiers and so they will be very aggressive.
“So, it will be very interesting to see our players perform against their North African counterparts as it will be a first experience for some of them, especially the new players arriving,” Rohr said in a video posted on the NFF official Twitter page.
According to Ekwueme Rohr’s selection especially for the 11 players will start at Constantine especially with the inclusion of standby players like Kayode Olanrewaju and Kenneth Omeruo who replaced injured. Aside the standby players
The match is at the Stade Mohamed Hamlaoui, and will hold from 8.30 p.m. Algeria time. The team will then on Saturday move to Krasnodar, the Russian city that will host Tuesday’s international friendly against Argentina. Rohr added that the Super Eagles’ second game would be an even more interesting one as some other players may have returned from injury before then.
