Nigerian national team coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that the depth in his Super Eagles squad can help them at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The Super Eagles Manger was speaking after their 1-1 draw against the Desert Warriors of Algeria last Friday in Constantine.
Rohr praised the performance of the fringe players he used as they bagged a point in their final Group B clash before shifting focus to the friendly against Argentina last night.
The performance of the players has convinced Rohr about the depth his team possesses as they head out to the World Cup in Russia next year.
“Everybody worked well; they lost the ball and tried to get it back. They did well which means that the building is starting now and some things are changing. We have the same attitude”, said Rohr to newsmen.
“The game showed us that we have players who can play in different positions. We were searching to find new players and we found good new players but we must wait and the return of some injured players.
“Some of these players have shown that they can come in with the first team. We saw good competition for some players in some positions”.
Meanwhile, the coach has commended the country’s Football Federation (NFF) for their professional approach to the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles enjoyed a superb ‘Road to Russia’, going unbeaten through the ‘group of death’ and becoming Africa’s first qualifier for the 2018 finals.
Rohr and his players merit praise for their superb performance, but the German coach has also credited the NFF for their work behind the scenes.
“For sure, we must commend the NFF for the role they played right from that game in Ndola against Zambia to last Friday’s game in Constantine, Algeria”, said Rohr.
“Apart from putting together excellent arrangements for our games at home, they ensured we travelled in comfort to all our away games and the fact that our away travels were always direct on chartered flights made sure we had very good recovery period between games.
“This also helped to manage the few days we usually have because of the congested and very small number of the FIFA international days.
The German added, “from the time the draw was made for the group series of the qualifiers, we knew that in a difficult group like the one we were in, the difference between success and failure could be down to little things that most people would take for granted, but I am happy that the NFF were very professional, passionate and committed to the cause.
“Their great planning and arrangements made the players to focus on the football only, so we got the best out of them.
“Now we cannot rest on our oars because there is a bigger challenge ahead of us. We have to prepare better and focus even more as we get set for the World Cup next year,” Rohr concluded.