New Telegraph

Ikpeba: Eagles, Rohr in right direction

…says expectations too high from Nigerians

…charges ministry to solve problems in state FAs

A former international, Victor, Ikpeba, has showered praises on Eagles manager Gernot Rohr, and the current players in the senior national team for placing the team on the right path to glory.

Ikpeba, a former Africa Footballer of the Year, argued that Rohr had done well to make the Eagles strong again on the continent. Speaking on a morning programme on Brila FM Tuesday, Ikpeba stressed that it was good to see Eagles return to the African Cup of Nations.

“People criticize him but we forgot that the Eagles missed AFCON back-to-back before Rohr arrived. “The Eagles are competitive again and the boys are giving their best. The coach can improve by making them play more direct to score goals but overall, he has done well.

“The defeat suffered against Algeria was no big deal because the team was coming together after about 10 months with new players and without key players. Algerians are number one in Africa and so the team did not do badly. “We cannot win all games or win AFCON every edition.

We should lower the expectations from the team to avoid putting pressure on them. Our wingers should not only dribble but should provide crosses and passes for the strikers to get the goals.”

The ex-Monaco player who is the Vice chairman of Delta State FA in a separate interview charged the ministry of sports and the Nigeria Football Federation to put an end to the crisis in the football federations of some states especially Delta and Anambra.

Two factional chairmen are now in Delta while Anambra is on verge of having factional leaders too. “Football development cones from the states and so it is crucial to ensure there is peace at the grassroots so that the expected results of talents discovery can be attained. “The minister should be firm in looking at what the laws of the games say at state level to settle this impasse and we move on,” Ikpeba added.

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