Tactical changes get Nigeria’s back on track
volgograd — Coaches often get the criticism when things go awry on the pitch, and arguably don’t get enough of the credit when things turn out just right.
Ahmed Musa has clearly been the focus of attention for getting Nigeria’s World Cup campaign back on track after his two welltaken goals in a 2-0 victory over Iceland on Friday in Volgograd.
However, the impact of German coach Gernot Rohr should not be under-estimated.
Following Nigeria’s limp 2-0 opening loss to Croatia, the team faced the prospect of being eliminated from the tournament.
Rather than stick with what had got Nigeria to the World Cup at a canter, Rohr opted for change.
As well as bringing in the speedy Musa as one of three changes to the starting lineup, Rohr altered the positions of his two standout players. Captain John Obi Mikel was moved back from a more offensive midfield position to act as a shield in front of the defense, a role he’s accustomed to at his club, Tianjin Teda in China, and formerly at Chelsea. And Victor Moses, who has been part of Nigeria’s attacking unit for years, was brought back to play as a box-to-box wing-back — as he does for Chelsea.
“It was a direct response to the Croatia result. We had to change something and we wanted to push more forward,” Rohr said. “They are playing in their clubs in these positions so they had to accept to play also for the country in these positions.” —