Jo Bonfrere: If Eagles Play as a Team Will Go Far in Russia

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Jo Bonfrere: If Eagles Play as a Team Will Go Far in Russia
June 8, 2018 1:07 am 285 0

Jo Bonfrere and Fashola
Dutchman, Jo Bonfrere who led Nigeria’s Under-23 Dream Team to win the men’s football event gold medal of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA, was live on Arise Television’s Global Sports yesterday. DURO IKHAZUAGBE monitored the interview…

*In the Beginning

Before the Olympic Games, I have been with Nigeria in the 1990 for the Africa Cup of Nations in Algiers. I was also here for the AFCON in Senegal in 1992. After that I was with the team for the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia which we won. We then qualified and went to the World Cup in USA which was Nigeria’s first time. It was after that I led the Under-23 Dream Team to the Olympic Games in Atlanta where we won the gold. The football authorities asked me back again where I led the team to the Nations Cup .

*Life Outside Coaching Super Eagles

When I left Nigeria I went to Qatar, I went to many other countries. I joined a club in the Emirate as well as in Egypt. I was in China and the last one was in Oman. I went back to China to join another club. In the last 20 years that I left Nigeria, I have been very busy.

*Winning the Olympic Gold in Atlanta in 1996

Winning the Olympic gold gave me special feeling, most especially for Nigeria. It was a very good experience. Winning in the final for me was beating all the South American teams. It means we have beaten Mexico, Brazil and Argentina- all football power-houses in that region. These were not easy teams. They were very difficult. We played very good football in that competition to deserve winning the gold.

*The opportunities that followed winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games

Yes, winning the Olympic gold gave me opportunities. Qatar desperately wanted me, Before then, I didn’t know where Qatar was in the Arab world. They invited me and went there to coach. I led them to playing in the final of the Arab league Cup final against Kuwait.

*Unforgettable Memories of Atlanta ‘96

We, I mean the coaching crew and my players were one team. We had a bond. The players played for each other, they had power and were never afraid. After training for month going to the Olympic, I told them that they were very good and capable of taking on any team in the world and get result. My players loved our training and were very proud of our work rate and all that we were doing before the Olympic. We knew we had the mentality to enable us win any game.

*Super Eagles versus Czech Republic in Vienna, Austria on Wednesday

I was in the traffic in Lagos so missed then first 20 minutes of the game. From what I have seen of the team against England and Czech Republic again on Wednesday, Eagles are not playing as a team. Too much individuality play in the team. The players have speed and tactically sound but if you are not playing as a unit, getting the desired result will be difficult. And secondly, they appears as if they are not playing to instruction or tactics from the handlers of the team. It is like having a problem in your house and you have the tools to solving the problem but if you don’t know the right tool to use, all the bunch of tools you have may appear useless. That is the problem I see with the current Super Eagles.

*Chances of Super Eagles at the World Cup

Nigeria still has up to nine days till when the Super Eagles will play their first game against Croatia. Now is the time to let the players know the opposition they are going to face and the quality in each of the players of the Croatian team. From the losses in the friendlies, the coaches should be able to tell each player what the problem was in the areas they covered and amendments made. Let me tell, from what I have seen of Nigerian players, they are all faster than nearly all the players from Europe coming to this World Cup. They have more technic than most other players. However, I want to say that I really don’t know most of the current players so it will be difficult for me to hazard a guess. If they pay as a team, they can go far beyond the second Round that has become Nigeria’s benchmark. In Europe, when a player has the ball, he has five players opening up for him to choose where to send the ball but in the present Nigerian situation from the friendlies that I have seen, when a Super Eagles player has the ball, he wants to do things of five people all alone and there is no support around him and things don’t work like that.

*Which countries are you looking at as favourites?

Normally during the World Cup, attention is on Germany, Italy, France and may be England but the Italians are not in Russia. I have seen some games from Brazil, they are very good. I tip Brazil to get to the last four. I saw Germany against Austria but I didn’t see the usual German flair. I didn’t see the usual things associated with Germany. The French have renewed their game after the Nicolas Anelka era and crisis. Brazil as host thought the cup was their to take but were taught bitter lesson. Now I see great games coming from these rejuvenated teams. Brazil has the technique, Germany the mentality and England the fighting spirit. Unfortunately the Dutch team (Holland) that have the technique too are not at this World Cup.

*Getting the house promised him by the FG 24 years after

It was a surprise to me when I got a call from Nigeria that I should come and get the house that I was promised in 1994 after winning the AFCON 1994 in Tunisia. It was promise fulfilled by the Federal Government of Nigeria and I am very grateful for the gesture. What I am going to do with the house? I have not decided yet. Now I know I have a house in Nigeria and whenever I come here, I have a house I can call my own and stay. No, I am not thinking about selling it now, I have not decided.

*Training programme for coaches under way

We would like to teach the Nigerian coaches how to coach young players or even senior players on how to make them better football players. It is necessary for coaches to have target in training and if you don’t do that, it means you are going to achieve little with your training effort. However, we have not decided yet where the training of the coaches will take place whether in Lagos or Abuja or any other Nigerian city.
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2 ... in-russia/

[Goldleaf]

Great observation from Johannes Bonfrere.

Rohr's team has good technical ability; it's just the chemistry and coordination that is letting them down and that will clear up over the 9 days to kick off. I saw Costa Rica yesterday and throughout 90 minutes, England was comfortable. The England and Czeck republic teams that beat us were not comfortable as we dominated the ball for good segments of the game. In Russia where it becomes do-or-die just as it was in Atlanta, I expect to see a more coordinated SE with players willing to die for each other.

[Bobo Dan]

Personally I don’t know why all the gloom from the SE fans
Yes we lost against England and Czech, but to be honest, what purpose would wining those two games have served? What many failed to see was that the coaching crew used the games to try new formations rather than going out for outright wins. Rohr knows the formation the boys are happy and comfortable with, but instead used the friendliest to try new formations. That was the reason few of the players were played out of position.
A pointer to this was contained in the interview given by the team media officer (Toyin Ibitoye) to Channels TV after the game and posted below.



http://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=28061

Official: Victor Moses, Mikel, Iheanacho Et Al Unhappy Super Eagles Failed To

Victor Moses, Obi Mikel, Kelechi Iheanacho and other Super Eagles players were disappointed in the wake of their 1-0 loss to Czech Republic on Wednesday afternoon as a win would have given them confidence ahead of their World Cup opener next week.

Super Eagles Media Officer Toyin Ibitoye has also revealed why the team played with so many formations in their pre-World Cup friendlies.

''We didn't play our best, that was obvious for everyone to see. Friendly games are, as the coach will also say, like a scientist in the lab, try a few things and see what other options you can have,'' Toyin Ibitoye told Channels Television.

''That's how we have to take this game, the boys are not happy they didn't win because a victory would have given us some boost going into the World Cup but we see beyond the result. ''

Ibitoye added : ''We are trying a few things and coach Gernot Rohr told the press at the post-match press conference that in our group Iceland, Croatia and Argentina are teams that play different patterns, different formation and what he wants want to do is to try to make his team as flexible as possible so that they can match-up with the demands of having to change from one style to the other.

''What he wants to see is how we can adapt and play many styles during the World Cup. We have the next days to put ourselves in good shape, mentally, physically and boost our own morale and go into the World Cup. ''

Nigeria won their first two pre-World Cup friendlies against Argentina and Poland but failed to win their next four with Serbia, Democratic Republic of Congo, England and Czech Republic.

[metalalloy]

Ok captain obvious.

[Bobo Dan]

England, Czech games prepared us for the World Cup - Rohr

https://www.soccernet.com.ng/2018/06/en ... world.html

Super Eagles Coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that there is “positive anger” among his players and backroom staff, adding that he hopes that will translate into result yielding determination as the team prepares to open shop in Russia against Croatia.

Rohr, who believes he has taken the players through quality training and friendly shape ups, insists that the players have the capacity to up their game with a view to excelling in Russia.

The former Gabon and Burkina Faso handler maintained that everyone has learnt useful lessons from the friendly matches played and the results that were recorded, submitting that the unanimous agreement is that there is a need for improvement even with six days to the start of the World Cup.

“After the loss to the Czech Republic, there is positive anger among the players & staff. This keeps us focused & humble," said Gernot Rohr whose contract with the NFF will see him equally take the Super Eagles to the next Nations Cup in Cameroon in 2019 irrespective of the performance achieved in Russia.

The back to back defeat of the Eagles by England and Czech Republic has triggered off mixed reactions among soccer fans in the country with some insisting there are positives to be taken from the defeats, while others say the defeats is an indication that the team will struggle to survive the group stage.

“It is better for them to lose the friendly matches and play better in the competition. If they record easy wins in the friendly matches they will assume they have arrived and that will be counterproductive” Said a group of sports enthusiasts at one of the newspaper stands Friday in Lagos

Eagles will begin their quest for glory against Croatia on June 16, a match which many say they must win if they are to lay the foundation of survival in the Group stage.

Those who hold this view insist that winning the first match even with a small margin will boost the team’s confidence to tackle Iceland and Argentina respectively.

Nigerians will, however, be praying that prediction by Google forecast does not come to pass as it will mean starting the campaign on a losing note. The forecast indicates that Nigeria has only 17% chance of winning the June 16 tie while Croatia stands 57% chance of winning.

The match is predicted to stand 26% chance of ending in a goalless or score draw.

[Odas]

To me, losing those (friendly) games and learning from the errors lor earning new formations/personnel's strength is very good. Therefore, I'd rather we lose those games than winning them.

[mcal]

...playing as a group has always been our achilles heel.

[theYemster]

Ok captain obvious.

[theYemster]

...playing as a group has always been our achilles heel.

It's the way kids grow up playing in Nigeria ave also the way they train in camp. They need to focus more on off the ball movements, playing without the ball, making probing, deceptive and decoy runs and what not.

If I were coaching I wouldn't even use the ball for most coaching drills. I'll also time them in their counter attacks, give them five seconds to break from defense into the opposition box and create a decent goal attempt. Failure to do so and they go back and start all over.

I'll also have them take a hundred corner kicks and crosses each of which must land inside or very close to a 1m diameter circle inside the box; there'll be one of each at both near and far post. I've never seen our youngins practice these basic but very important skills...all they wanna do is play pick up, dribble, run, pass and score.

It rubs me the wrong way when I watch the team, with international players that can't cross the ball or take decent shots at goal. It smacks of laziness and lack of self discipline.