Samuel Chukwueze’s mentor and president of Super Stars Academy Uyo, Victor Apugo, has hit out at Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr for not properly utilising the Villarreal forward in the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The teenage star made his AFCON debut in Nigeria’s 1-0 win against Burundi in the first game and repaid Rohr’s faith with an impressive performance, but was only used as a substitute in the subsequent matches which saw the Eagles lose 2-0 to minions Madagascar after a slim win 1-0 over Guinea.
Speaking on Nigeria’s performance at the AFCON, Apugo said it was a sign of complacency for Rohr to rest his best players when the job is not done yet, especially Chukwueze whom Nigerians are expecting a lot from following an outstanding debut season in Spain which saw him score 10 goals in 47 matches.
“I think the coach (Rohr) has got his tactics and game management wrong,” Apugo began.
“It was there for everybody to see in the first match against Burundi, but he corrected his mistakes and we won the game. Then he made the same mistake again in the second and third matches and we all saw the outcome.
“He’s underutilising his star players, especially Chukwueze who is really raring to go. I don’t know what he’s saving him for. Also, Victor Osihmen is yet to kick a ball in this tournament and that’s another person that had a very good season.
“This is the wrong time for the coach to be tinkering with the team. He should have a first eleven, play his best players and make meaningful substitutions on time,” he concluded.
Chukwueze and Osihmen were in the Golden Eaglets squad that won the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile. He could have represented Nigeria at the just concluded U-20 World Cup in Poland but instead chose to travel with the senior squad to Egypt.
The 20-year-old from Umuahia in Abia State has been linked with a big money move to one of the top clubs in Europe this summer with Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool reportedly interested in his services.
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36 Comments
Honestly speaking,i don’t think this Rohr of a coach knows what he is doing. How can you leave better players on the bench and cleave to frige players ? Ighalo is not better than Osimhen. How can you leave Onyekuru, Kalu and Chuckweze on the bench? They ought to start every game.
LMAO…even kalu that collapsed in training should have started the next game 2 days later abi…? So it is Ahmed Musa and Ighalo that are now fringe players…players with 112 caps between them are fringe players…Lolz
Hehehehehe…..everybody fighting for his own player.
The hate against Rohr has never been one of lack of results….it has always been as a result of parochial interests. Even when he falls in a pool of water, they will accuse him of raising dust. While some people are crying that their players have not been used at all….some are crying theirs are not being used enough. LMAO
Chukwueze and Osimhen are badly needed in that attack, and Iwobi should be encouraged to play No. 10 role effectively. We are going to beat Cameroon hands down by God’s grace.
See…its not about individuals….its about the team. Chukwueze is no doubt an awesomely gifted kid….but guess what….5 games for the SE, 1 game for the U23s, we are still looking for his 1st assist, not to talk of 1st goal. Victor Osimhen, excellent goal poacher….4 games for the eagles no goals. Is it in one game all off these guys will just suddenly wake up and start pouring down goals on opponents…? more so when most of then have not played too many games together with the same set of the rest of the regular 11s…?
Honestly, some people think real world football is like they have it in video games when you can just import a player from nowhere into a team and everything will be business as usual. Lolz
People just throw around names as if it is these 3 players that will single-handedly pick balls from the defense, dribble the entire 11 on the onther side of the divide and tear their net into pieces with goals…LMAO
My Friend @Dr Drey Shut your Mediocre minded mouth,
okay your Ighalo, Musa and Simon combination is not working so what must we do now stick to it. We have better players on the bench whether you like it or not.
Come and shut it now…? You that have an unmediocre minded mouth. Your lord and savior chukwueze that you were ranting and raining curses on everyone about before afcon like a mad dog has featured in 2 matches now with nothing to show for it. Thank God he has already featured…otherwise, you may have committed suicide by now…LMAO
The last time I checked, Musa and Ighalo came in to good effect in our 1st game, Simon provided an assist in the 2nd game. The last time i also checked, it was the victory in both games that gave us the 6 points to took us to the next round.
Your an ingrate if that’s your definition of a Player given a good account of themselves meaning, yes you are very stupid indeed. last time I checked Musa couldn’t make it in England and was relegated to Leicester City under 23 squad, Also the last time I checked Samuel Chukwueze out performed Moses Simon in La Liga this past season by a mile, while Moses Simon is a bench warmer/Squad player, Samuel Chukwueze is a key man for his Spanish club.
Also the last time I checked Musa and Simon were given enough time to showcase what they than do at this Afcon and this was the best they could do, that which you have highlighted in your response. I
n my books that’s not good enough because that was against lessor opposition than Cameroon and they have had their chance and should step aside for more clinical and lethal players. Ighalo in My books can still offer much but doesn’t have players so far in this tournament to penetrate the opposition and give him good support which Onyekuru and Chukwueze will surely do. Osimhen can replace Ighalo if he doesn’t perform.
So yes Mediocre Mind Shut the hell up!!! ingrate.
Hahahaha…it is your father that is stupid for giving birth to a useless kid like you. Unfortunately they were all happy they gave birth to a son not knowing that they gave birth to a dog….a lunatic dog for that matter.
As stupid as you are, you are busy comparing clubs performances with national team performances. Your so-called star perfomer in the laliga played against burundi and played to ball to the car park outside the stadium when it was easier to bury it into the net…..he came on to replace iwobi in th no 10 role and our midfield collapsed…LMAO. Even in the U23s against libya… he was crap…LMAO
In this same AFCON where the trio I listed have made valuable contributions to put the eagles where they are now can you tell us wat impact you tin-god has made so far..?
Lest I forget…that Musa that couldn’t make it in England is Nigeria’s all time top-scorer in the worldcup. LMAO. He’s got 83 caps and about 17 goals for the SE and is ranked 5th in SE all time top scorers list.
Your tin-god with all your hype has played 5 games and i cant even remember him having a shot at goal. Thank God we have seen him already in this tournament….even common burundi…common burundi o, e no fit get shot on target….LMAO. Thank God he has featured already in this tournament otherwise you would have shut down this website with your mouth odour.
Later you will come here and be ranting yen yen yen yen and be foaming in the mouth about chukwueze as if only him will outplay the remaining 21 players on the pitch.
Complete idiot like you…!
Hello guys! I have been following you guys on this forum,Dr drey,omo9ja, Pompei and co.
Please we are Nigerians and we love our team and it’s this football that brings us together, we should please mind the kind of words we use on ourselves as we all know words are very powerful.
Sometimes I do agree with Dr drey and sometimes omo9ja however I think the players too also have their own short comings they don’t play with patriotism and urgency and also I can say from my point of view gernot rohr doesn’t learn from his mistakes however we should allow him to conclude with this afcon then the nff can decide…
I think Amaju may not be satisfied as well.
God bless you all.
You and I share same school of thought.
Chukwueze and Osimhen have underperformed in the senior national team when given opportunities.They put up a near average performances but not enough to be given regular starts in the team likewise Onyekuru.
Apparently,club football is different from internationals.
I understand because of their exploits in Europe fans alike are of the opinion they will destroy opponents in Africa but it doesn’t work that way.I have not been impressed by their performances in the national colour so they deserve the bench role they are getting.
Rohr knows his first eleven the problem he had was ill-health and injuries so he had to shuffle players in the first game.In the next one he used 90% of his regulars the reason we played very well and our last game was inconsequential so fresh players were given a chance to stake a claim for first team places as they go into the knockout stages but it backfired.
However,against Cameroon we shall see the first team and best players lined up from those available for selection.
Rohr is a good gaffer the record is there for everyone to see.Every good team have their moments.Condemning a good coach to be bad just because of one bad game is ridiculous!
I agree with you but sometimes I try to compare Mikel and Messi because they started together but the gap is so much obviously Mikel isn’t himself in this afcon however he’s better of playing in the DM role rather than AM role but I don’t understand why our coach keeps playing him as DM?
The coach obviously sees Mikel from close range he alone should know which role best suits Mikel in the team.It’s astonishing how we think we know better than the coach.
I believe in training he has tried different options with players and come up with idea of where they are best suited.Mikel could be vulnerable playing as a defensive midfielder in the national team a role where any mistake would lead to a possible goal so the coach may prefer his captain playing further up the pitch where he is used to playing for the team a position where mistakes are redeemable because you have two other midfielders behind you.
There are a lot of things we fans don’t know when we lose a match we all suddenly become coaches incredible hehe.
Well all Nigerian are coach
Please this man should shut up. And allow the coach to do his job. Everyone is telling coach to play this play that. What da hell. He will play, just because we lost everyone is yelling.
_ Chukwueze, Okocha in the making? _
The issue with Chukwueze is one of exuberance and decision making.
The case of the young Villarreal forward reminds me of the earlier days of legendary Okocha’s national team career.
Although the former Bolton midfielder was blessed with immense dribbling skills, Clement Westerhof wasn’t always keen on starting Okocha because his decision making was still developing.
The 2 times BBC footballer of the year was eased into the team in a manner that made him blossom for many years to come.
When I saw Chukwueze in our first match against Burundi, he would at times hold on to the ball longer that necessary.
The one clear (beautiful) ball that Iwobi laid on a plate for him was blasted well wide – that should either have been a goal or he should have at least forced the goalkeeper to a save.
But Chukwueze will come good; he is that good. However, his assimilation to the team must be managed in such a manner that will bring out the best in him.
If that happens, we will enjoy his games for many seasons to come in national colours.
ROHR HAS 200,000 000 ASSISTANT COACH£S IN NAIJA.
https://www.goal.com/en/news/afcon-2019-gernot-rohr-misses-chance-to-unveil-super-eagles/1t0iadwsfncwx1w3bzdv99z1go
Read And Digest all Abeg. Solace Chukwu couldn’t have said it better.
Bros@ Ugo Iwunze. As far as I am concerned, Solace Chukwu said nothing note-worthy.As usual, he is only one of the 200,000,000 palour and bed-room coaches in Nigeria who are (self acclaimed) better than anyone else, watching the player’s training sessions from their bed-rooms, in the tight cuddle of their female warmers.
Take it easy on Gernot Rohr please and yourselves. If he wins on Saturday and eventually the AFCON title, I am sure the criticism of him will mellow. He must have learnt from his mistakes just as he did from the loss against RSA (2-nil) and bounced back to qualify for AFCON 2019 with a game to spare. He qualified the Super Eagles for Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup with a game to spare. He also qualified for the Round of 16 in this AFCON with a game to spare. He only lost the top spot and to a debutant team – Madagascar. Though painful, let’s put that behind us and forge ahead.
The loss that is raising brouhaha may be a blessing in disguise and a wakeup call to make him and the Eagles realize their errors and bring out his innate technical expertise. Let us also remember his good side and not only the bad. It will be unfair to judge him too hard. Even if he failed to go past the Round of 16 (God forbid), he did qualified us to AFCON after failing to in last two editions.
All he needs now is our unflinching support and a little bit of encouragement. May God help him and us. Amen!
People are mixing things together here. Club form is different from national team form. While I agree that Chukwueze is an outstanding player, he hasn’t really done much in the national team to deserve a permanent shirt. A few times I’ve watched him, he’s still very childish with his dribbles and highly predictable diagonal passes. In LaLiga, he could do this all day, and make something meaningful out of it. But at AFCON, he would surely have a lot of hardened flesh and bones to contend with. He could be an impact player coming from the bench, but AFCON is for men, not boys. Teams are so physical that you would sometimes mistake some matches for Kong fu contexts. And our refrees are enjoying it because many fouls have gone unpunished and many are still coming even with the VAR. I know players like Chukwueze, Osimhen and Onyekuru would get their chance, but their integration has to be systematic and calculated.
Why Nigerians are so angry with the coach now? Shebi I have warned you all immediately after the world cup in Russia that Oga has nothing left to offer Nigeria? You guys insulted me wela. You guys called me internet coach. Did I not tell so?
Why angry now? What else does he have left to offer? Winning the Afcon? Then we should continue with this disgraceful, shameful and bad performance under coach Rohr?
After this tournament, I want to see the reactions of the NFF. Some of my Colleagues on this forum knows the truth but they prefer having coach Rohr in charge of the team and continue messing around with Super Eagles than having a sound coach who knows his Job well. Kilodeeeeeeee?
Shall we continue this way, mba. There’s time for everything. NFF should remember this, we as patriotic Nigerians, we hire we fire. Even, Mr. Amaju has no control over us.
He have to listen this time around. Enough of fake Oyinbo coach. Give us a set of good and intelligent indigenous coach who can deliver not the one with excuses every day without confidence.
I still maintained my point here. Amunike,Obur, Peter Rufai and Kanu will deliver. NFF should stop wasting our money. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Thank you Dr Drey, papafem, Danurch and others that are seeing things from a positive side. When mature minds speaks you will know and when minors speaks you will easily know. Ugo Iwunze and destiny has shown they are still minors with insults and abusive words from all their comments. I will challenge them to come up with convincing arguments and facts when critisizing. A whole lot of fans are critisizing Rohr and its expected but when you turn yourself to attack dog you will loose respect from people reading your comments. Am eagerly waiting for the next match as it holds a lot going forward. Any player selected should be ready to give over 100% and if a player of your choice does not make the line up give your support to those playing and wish them well. If possible let’s give mutual respect to one another and if my comments displeases you pls ignore or make your points without necessary abusing me. This morning destiny was praying that God punish Rohr and all his supporters simply because he has not performed to his expectations. The two camps we have here makes this forum more interesting and lively and that is life for you. Therefore we should not wish anyone dead for having different view from ours. Am sure most of this guys are playing bet 9ja and when they loose the vent their annoyance and frustrations to innocent forum mate. More surprises are coming in the last 16 and if you are not mentally strong avoid watching Nigeria and Cameroon natch but at the end of proceeding only one team will win.
*Necessarily
You have said it all from the right angle Ndubuisi. Thanks jare!
i firmly Believe the Super Eagles have lost if Rohr Starts the Same way he started against Guinea and Madagascar. and then all people will say is at least he was giving a chance. That will not be acceptable he will have to be accountable for Being warned and not listening to advice, instead listening to the Likes of @Dr Drey and @Ndubuisi.
The team will loose if they don’t score goals
This team starts the same way, is not capable of overturning a Deficit like Nigeria of the past, If Cameroon scores first its Game Over.
The only way I foresee us making a meaningful battle with Cameroon is if Rohr Shuffles the attack. Period and not with Kalu or Simon but with Onyekuru Chukwueze and Osimhen. I will keep singing these names until its sinks into all of your brains.
When ever rohn losses he changes his formation and drops underperforming players.. I won’t be surprised to see him using a 3 5 2 formation.. Like he did in the world cup after losing to Croatia..
Let me say that you and I see this issue the same way and we express our feelings the same way about this coach. let me repeat what l have said in another thread that if any Nigerian still harbor the notion that they will win AFCON, l have a River Niger bridge to sell you. l can even add Ako bridge to it. With Rohr in charge, Cameroon will surely send Nigeria team home.
If only fans follow the thoughts of Omo9ja to apply pressure on the NFF to replace this coach soon after the World Cup, we wouldn’t be here today with these frustrations in the face of the most talented players Nigeria have.
Omo9ja is the only one in a million who foresee this coach for what he is. But we all beat him, abused him and told him off. We own Omo9ja collective apology.
Play the next game and go home. Folks, it all over. Lets go prepare for the next World Cup African qualifying matches with another seasoned coach. The search for a new coach must begin immediately.
That’s the problem, rohr is too predictable.. when all else fails we fall back to 3-5-2 and you don’t think your opponents know that. Nigeria has plethora of football talent in this team, but like a good cook who knows how to blend ingredients properly to get a great taste that’s how these players need to be applied. And as far as i’m concerned Rohr does not know what to do with the abundance of talent that we currently have in this team, we saw it at the world cup and now we are seeing it in AFCON, the man does not know how to use these players. Instead he stubbornly sticks to the same ones and refuses to give certain other players a chance when the regular ones are under performing and that is not a good coach in my book. How can u keep inviting certain players and yet you don’t trust them enough to play them in big games. If I were Onyekuru i would stop accepting national call-ups until rohr has being sacked, that boy is too much of a talent to be wasting on the bench.
Gbam @IK you don talk am finish Dalu my brother at least somebody sees the light.
And yes I concur if I was Henry Onyekuru I would not waste my time picking call if I see Rohr or the NFF calling me
We can choose to defend Rohr all we want, we can say its a one off but what i think every concerned football fan should be more concerned about going forward is that if we could only manage a shot on Target against a Madagascar team..does it give anyone any sort of confidence.For me i am very worried and if we feel some players though they do well for their club sides but do not for the national teams then i think even those who Rohr prefer to start are even guilty of this too
Wow!
I read from the first to the last comment and all are saying the same thing just differently put because we all want to Nigeria to progress.
I am not here to repeat what has been said but to say that these guys, the players need to work as a team.
They need 1 hour of separate compartments of sections of the field.
An example to this is all the strikers staying together in a hot room where they will break down their barriers and connect to themselves telepathically. Same as the defenders and midfielders.
Most times it is not all about training on the field, it all about what you do off the field, how the players in different sections of the field connect with each other. Do they share notes, do they even have notes? Do they do extra sections with themselves to perfect their connection?
I do not know if this team has a physiologist because his work is not showing at all. You do not just say pass the ball to him and you expect that to happen on the filed of play, the subconscious will take over and the players will be on autopilot. That is why off the field is really important because that is where the subconscious is learning the subtle not on the field of play ( training) where they all want to show the coach that they can pass the ball to their team players just to be selected on Match Day.
If there is any person on here that can talk to the coach about this and practice this things before Saturday you will see great improvements. We have only today and Friday to do this.
Get all the players together, groups them according to their positions, keep them in different rooms were they can deliberate about how they can work together to win. Asked each sections what they have come up with, the coach then tells them the Game Plan and they blend them with the players “sections plans”.
Go play them on the field and see how well they have improved with this exercise. You will be amazed
This is how I overcame my troubled players, it is seems easy but very effective. You see players that are selfish will give way to other players because they feel that the players can do better with that gameplay they have.
This is a secret that has been shared, hope to see better improvements on Saturday’s game. Hoping other nationals are not going to read this (lol).
Peace
Illumia
you have a good point but rohr and the sleeping NFF are not reading this. just me and some internet coaches
Guy you ash like aporko pepper
you are right bro, rohr is a bunch of error