Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has come out with another roll call of factors he believes can help his side get victory against Algeria in the semi-final at the Africa Cup of Nations, as he says his players must stay fully focused and remain totally committed to the task at hand.
While acknowledging that Sunday’s game will not be easy, against the team he tagged the best so far in the ongoing competition, the Franco-German gaffer stressed that his players must put behind them the glee and euphoria of Wednesday’s victory against South Afirca, in order for them to focus on beating The Fennecs as well.
He expressed delight that there are no longer any injuries in his squad, as skipper, John Mikel Obi and right-back, Shehu Abdullahi have both also returned to training, while Jamilu Collins smartly held his own for 90 minutes in the midweek quarter-final victory over Bafana Bafana.
Having all his players available for Sunday’s last-four fixture has further raised Rohr’s enthusiasm ahead of the game in Cairo, Egypt, into which he is equally elated that the spirit in his camp is high, thereby espousing signs of a glorious flight to next Friday’s final.
The former Niger Republic, Gabon and Burkina Faso handler also spoke about off-field issues, as he reasoned that the environment in Cairo will aid his side’s quest for victory, just is was in Alexandria, where he says all four matches they played before shifting base to the Egyptian capital toughened his side and prepared them for the crucial remaining battles.
Rohr said: “The next match in a championship is always the toughest, so it is always important to approach it that way.
“That is why we must now forget what we achieved against South Africa in our quarter final match and start to build up towards the semi final.
“There is no time to rest on our oars. We must make all the sacrifices we can now to achieve our objectives at this tournament.
“Algeria are the best team of the tournament so far and it will be a big challenge to beat them.
“We must stay focused and be fully committed, but we have to recover first. We have no time to waste.
“We are happy there are no more injuries in our team. There is a good spirit in the team, and we are very hopeful.
“We have worked hard for the past six weeks. We had a nice time in Alexandria, where the tough games there prepared us well.”
