Sports
Rohr Equals Amodu’s Record As Eagles Most-Capped Coach
Gernot Rohr equalled Shaibu Amodu as the coach with the most games for the Super Eagles in their 2-0 win over Liberia in Tangier, Morocco last Saturday.
The game was Rohr’s 53rd as Eagles coach, same as Amodu, who had several stints with the national team between 2001 and 2015.
Rohr was appointed Eagles coach on August 5, 2016, after stints in Gabon, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
The Franco-German replaced Sunday Oliseh, who resigned as Eagles coach six months earlier.
His first game in charge of the Eagles was against Tanzania on September 3, 2016, in the final game of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, winning 1-0.
He went on to win his next two games 2-1 against Zambia and 3-1 against Algeria in the 2018 World Cup qualifying games.
His first defeat came in Nigeria’s first match in the 2019 AFCON qualifiers, losing 2-0 to South Africa at the GodswillAkpabio International Stadium, Uyo, June 10, 2017.
Out of the 53 games, he has managed the Eagles, Rohr has won 28, drawn 12, and lost 13 times, garnering a 52.83 per cent win ratio.
The former Niger coach enjoyed his best winning streak of four games between September 8, 2018, and October 16, 2018, defeating Seychelles 3-0, Liberia 2-1, and Libya twice 4-0 and 3-2.
The streak also extended to not losing in the five next games, amassing his best non-losing streak of nine games, extending until June 8, 2019.
This was however stopped by Senegal, who defeated Nigeria 1-0 in an international friendly on June 16, 2019, at the Ismaila Stadium, Egypt in the build-up to the 2019 AFCON.
The 68-year-old had his longest losing streak of three games between June 2, 2018, to June 16, 2018, losing to England 2-1, Czech 1-0 and Croatia 2-0.
His most popular scoreline is a 1-0 victory which he secured eight times, while his highest winning margin is 4-0 — against Cameroon in the 2018 World Cup qualifier on September 1, 2017, and against Libya in the 2019 AFCON qualifier on October 13, 2018.
The 4-4 draw against Sierra Leone on November 13, 2020, in the 2021 AFCON qualifier in Benin, Edo State was the game with the highest number of goals involved.
It was also the same time he had his longest winless streak of five games after he had earlier lost 2-0 to Serbia on March 27, 2018, before playing a 1-1 draw against DR Congo on May 28, 2018.
He has played against Cameroon the most, five times, winning twice, two draws and losing once.
In his five years in charge, Rohr has used a total of 82 players, with vice-captain William Troost-Ekong his most-capped player with 47 games for the national team under the current gaffer, one ahead of captain Ahmed Musa.
Alex Iwobi is third, playing 44 times, while Wilfred Ndidi has played 40 games for the Eagles under Rohr to place fourth ahead of Leon Balogun, who is fifth with 35 appearances.
OdionIghalo, who made his Eagles return after over two years’ absence, is Rohr’s most prolific striker with 13 goals ahead of Osimhen and Iwobi with nine goals each.
Rohr has led Nigeria to two competitions, crashing out of the group stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, before winning the bronze medal at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
Rohr broke the record with the highest number of national teams games managed for Nigeria when the Eagles host Cape Verde in their final group game of the 2021 AFCON qualifier at the TeslimBalogun Stadium, Lagos, yesterday.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that the Premier League leaders must win trophies if they were to be remembered like the “Invincibles” side that last won the title for the Gunners in 2004.
Arsene Wenger’s side romped to the title 22 years ago without losing a single league game.
Arsenal headede into last night’s clash at home to reigning champions Liverpool with a five-point lead at the top of the table after Manchester City and Aston Villa dropped points against Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, respectively on Wednesday.
Arteta’s men, runners-up for the past three seasons, have two more points and four more goals than Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ managed after 20 games.
But the Spaniard said those stats matter little unless Arsenal go on to win the league.
“No, because ‘the Invincibles’ won a lot,” Arteta told his pre-match press conference on whether his side can be considered better than Arsenal’s last title winners.
“They won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that.”
The lone major piece of silverware won by Arsenal in six years under Arteta remains the 2020 FA Cup
“There are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years we have managed more points and more goals than ever before. But at the end, we have to translate that to major trophies,” he added.
“Probably doing what we are doing now would have been enough (in 2004), but now it’s not, and we have to make the margins even bigger.”
Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield back in August in what was billed as an early showdown between title rivals.
The defending champions headed to the Emirates 14 points off the top after a difficult second season for Arne Slot, but Arteta insisted the Reds remain a superb side.
The Gunners were without sidelined defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera but were“monitoring the load” on Kai Havertz as the Germany forward intensified his training while continuing to recover from a long-term leg injury.
Nigeria sharpshooters Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will provide a stern test to the flawless record of Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, a son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane, in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Morocco.
Zidane is the only first-choice goalkeeper amongst the eight quarter-finalists to have kept a clean sheet in all of his tournament matches so far, but the task facing him in Marrakesh tomorrow will not be easy.
Former African player of the year award-winners Osimhen and Lookman have tormented defences during the tournament, scoring three goals each.
Zidane, 27, kept clean sheets in group matches against Sudan and Burkina Faso before being rested against Equatorial Guinea.
He was recalled for a last-16 clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo and once again was unbeaten during a dramatic extra-time victory.
Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, his Spanish wife and another son have been among the crowds in each match Luca played for the Desert Foxes.
“It is special when your family come to watch,” said Luca Zidane, who began his career with Real Madrid B in 2016 and now plays for Spanish second-tier side Granada.
Born in France, Zidane represented his country of birth at five age-limit levels. Under FIFA rules he could also play for Spain or Algeria, where his grandparents were born.
Zidane chose Algeria, debuting in a 2026 World Cup qualifying victory over Uganda last November and, when an injury ruled first choice Alexis Guendoez out of the AFCON, he was promoted.
“I am proud to represent Algeria and play in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is a great experience,” he told reporters.
“I try to be myself, to build my career on my terms, step by step,” he said.
Algeria have been an AFCON bogey team for Nigeria, winning four and drawing two of nine meetings, including a 5-1 drubbing of the Super Eagles en route to winning the 1990 tournament at home. But the current Super Eagles appear to be in the mood to get this one over the Algerians.
The Desert Foxes have put successive group-stage exits behind them under Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic and substitute Adil Boulbina unleashed a thunderbolt to eliminate DR Congo.
Nigeria are the 12-goal leading scorers in Morocco with Osimhen, Lookman and Akor Adams forming a potent frontline.
But coach Eric Chelle will be concerned that the three-time champions have conceded four, the most among the eight title hopefuls.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has said that the club would sell captain Marc Guehi this month if his asking price is met.
The England defender is out of contract in the summer and Manchester City have emerged as contenders to sign him during the January transfer window.
Palace blocked a proposed £35m move to Liverpool last summer but risk losing the 25-year-old for nothing at the end of the season.
City’s interest in Guehi has progressed following injuries to defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias during Sunday’s draw against Chelsea.
“I’m not naive,” said Glasner, as reported by Tidesports source. “If a massive offer comes from City and Marc wants to do it, it will happen.”
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are among the European clubs to have shown an interest in signing Guehi on a free transfer, and he can sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from this month.
“If you’re just valuing sports, everyone in the club will say Marc has to stay,” Glasner added. “The chairman will tell you the same. But it’s not one-dimensional. If you see the financial situation, it’s very important.
“If somebody comes, there will be a moment when the club says ‘now the financial issue is more important than the sports issue’.
“There will be a threshold where the club has to say it will happen, as long as Marc says ‘I want to leave’, because the final decision is always with the player.”
Guehi helped Palace finish 12th last season and win the FA Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
The Eagles then won the Community Shield in August, beating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties, and are 14th in the table and through to the knockout phase play-offs in the Uefa Conference League.
“The chairman rejected many offers in the summer because we want to play a successful season and wanted to win the Community Shield,” Glasner added. “Therefore, Marc is important, and then he rejected the offer.
“The threshold at that time, the money we got offered was not above it. Maybe it was close, but it was not above.”