Categories: News

Can Uzoho be the perfect Enyeama replacement

Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr hinted yesterday that he would give the former Golden Eaglets’ reserve goalkeeper the opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the Russia 2018 World Cup squad today. However, there are those who believe that Rohr may choose to play the main team that qualified Nigeria for the World Cup instead of fielding some rookies due to the opponent’s pedigree.

Camp sources said yesterday that Rohr has seen so many attributes in the 19-year-old Uzoho and would want to see him in match situation against a strong opposition.

“Uzoho has one thing working for him as soon as you see him. He is a big lad and Germans like their goalkeepers big and that was the reason former Super Eagles coach Berti Vogts preferred Austin Ejide to Vincent Enyeama a few years ago.

“Aside his physical attribute, Uzoho is also very good at taking crosses, he commands his area very well and with all due respect to the goalkeepers we have now, Uzoho is the best in playing with his legs, something Rohr likes a lot,” one of the camp sources told a local website.

Rohr revealed that the game against Argentina would be the first in the series of matches lined up for Nigeria’s preparation for the World Cup.

The coach is working hard to ensure that Nigeria made good use of the six available FIFA free windows for friendly games against some tough opposition.

“It is very good we have two games to prepare our team between November and March but it is not enough.

“We’ll like two games in May, two games at the start of June. We could have six games during the pre-World Cup preparation, with training sessions used as match conditions,” he said.

The Franco-German explained that the Eagles decided to play Argentina in in Russia because they wanted to see the country before returning for the 2018 World Cup.

‘’Why do we hold a friendly game here in Russia? It turned out that the last match against Algeria in the qualifying tournament for the World Cup was held when we already qualified,’’ he told Sport Express Russia.

‘’It turned out that we were looking for who would play the second match. It was possible to play in Russia against Argentina.

‘’It is important for us to see how everything is arranged here before coming to Russia in 2018.’’

Meanwhile, Argentina warmed up for today’s match with Coach Jorge Sampaoli planning as many as 11 changes to the squad that defeated Russia 1-0 in a friendly game on Saturday.

Ole reported that in yesterday’s training session, Sampaoli experimented with what will most likely be the starting ‎line up against Nigeria today.

According to Ole, the only decision yet to be made by the coach is who will start on the left between Angel Di Maria and Diego Perroti with goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin likely to get his first start.

Juventus forward Paulo Dyabala will start upfront alongside Dario Benedetto and Cristian Pavon, who set up Sergio Kun Aguero for the winner against Russia will most likely start.

This post was last modified on November 30, 2018 2:00 pm

SoccerNet Editor

Our editorial team at Soccernet.ng boasts over a decade of combined experience in covering Nigerian football, delivering timely news, expert analysis, and engaging content. With a passion for the game and a commitment to excellence, we connect fans to the heart of Nigerian and global football stories.

Share
Published by
SoccerNet Editor

Recent Posts

Osimhen: Napoli star drops transfer hint as Man United and Chelsea prepare €75 million bid

Napoli-owned forward Victor Osimhen has sparked transfer speculation with a new comment about his future,… Read More

9 hours ago

Ghana 0-0 Nigeria: CHAN Eagles grab first-leg advantage in Accra against Black Galaxies

Nigeria forced Ghana to a goalless draw in the first leg of the qualifying playoff… Read More

10 hours ago

What Hakimi’s mother said after her son lost the CAF POTY Award to Lookman

Achraf Hakimi's mother, Saida Mouh, has revealed her son has moved on from the disappointment… Read More

10 hours ago

“I see similarities with Leicester” – Ex-Barcelona striker backs Ola Aina’s Nott’m Forest to win EPL title

Former Barcelona and England striker, Gary Lineker, has backed Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina's Nottingham… Read More

11 hours ago

Two Premier League clubs ready to meet Napoli’s €75m asking price for Victor Osimhen

Two English Premier League sides, Manchester United and Chelsea, are prepared to meet Napoli's €75m… Read More

12 hours ago

Tolu Arokodare surpasses Stephen Keshi’s mark in Belgium as Genk humble Anderlecht

Tolu Arokodare delivered a man-of-the-match performance to inspire KRC Genk to a convincing 2-0 win… Read More

12 hours ago