The Super Eagles in midweek took on the Czech Republic in a friendly match in Austria which was their last tune up game before they begin their World Cup campaign in Russia and succumbed yet to another defeat. They lost the game by a lone goal scored by defender Tomas Kalas.
Of course, it is merely a friendly and results are secondary at this stage. The real business of getting points and results begins on June 16 when Nigeria take on Croatia in Kaliningrad.
But after a series of uninspiring performances against Congo DR, England and lately the Czech Republic, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr must have come to the realisation that there is a lot of work to be done in getting the Super Eagles ready for the World Cup in Russia.
To put it mildly, the Super Eagles have underwhelmed with a series of mediocre performances. It is either the Eagles have hit a bad patch at the wrong time or they are merely going through the motions as we often do during World Cup preparations over the years.
Here are 5 things Rohr has to fix if the Super Eagles are to progress out of Group D and go far in the tournament.
1. Dealing with set pieces
Make no mistake, our opponents are watching and must be rubbing their hands in anticipation. The Super Eagles often lose concentration and are not very organised when dealing with set pieces.
Congo DR's equaliser in Port Harcourt came from the penalty spot. England's first goal was from a corner kick while Czech Republic's solitary strike in Austria also came from a corner kick.
So it's clear the Eagles are vulnerable at set pieces and our opponents -Argentina, Croatia and Iceland are teams who are capable of taking advantage of any lax defending.
The Eagles cannot afford to give themselves a mountain to climb by gifting ruthless opposition soft goals as a result of school boy defending.
2. Poor communication on the pitch
Not as grave as the set piece issue but a potential banana skin nonetheless. We have witnessed a comedy of errors and embarrassing head clashes between players trying to win the same ball and ending up injured.
We saw it against England when Joel Obi comically 'contested' with Leon Balogun for a header and ended up clashing with Leon Balogun leaving him with a gashed skull.
We saw a similar incident in the second half of that same game when Kenneth Omeruo and a fellow team mate got injured after they both contested for an aerial ball.
It may not look a big deal at the moment but it could be a symptom of a larger problem brewing and could lead to costly errors when team mates don't communicate properly with each other and our opponents take advantage of such errors.
3. Lack of creativity
The midfield lacks creativity. And as a result if Nigeria goes behind, they may struggle to get back into the game if they come up against a well drilled and organised defence. The type Nigeria might be up against when taking on Croatia or Iceland.
In the qualifiers, Nigeria punished teams like Algeria and Cameroun with some blistering counter attacking football. Teams though at this level are less susceptible to such and will defend deep to hold on to leads.
The Eagles have to find a way to create chances and unlock stubborn defences but are lacking many creative midfielders in this department.
John Obi Mikel and Alex Iwobi appear to be the only players capable of doing so. Yet, they don't seem to be able to create that many. This is besides the fact that the Super Eagles main striker who is wasteful.
Rohr is faced with a decision on where to use Iwobi since he and Mikel appear to be certain starters. Iwobi can be deployed centrally in midfield, on the wings or behind the main striker. This of course, is dependent on the system Rohr wishes to adopt.
Will he go 3-5-2 as the team seems more cohesive in this system at the moment and play Iwobi behind presumably Odion Ighalo? Or will he play him on the wings in a 4-2-3-1 system?
4. Poor form of key players
During the World Cup qualifiers, our key men undoubtedly were Moses Simon, John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses. Unfortunately, Simon misses out due to injury while Moses and Mikel haven't shown anything like their best since the end of the season.
Are they keeping their best form for the tournament proper? The Super Eagles faithful will hope so. But on the evidence so far, they both seem jaded and aren't reproducing what Nigerians expect from them.
And if Rohr decides to go for the 3-5-2 system, then Moses' indifferent performances could see him being relegated to the bench even though he can play as a wing back like he does for Chelsea.
It is unlikely however, that Rohr would pick him ahead of Tyrone Ebuehi or Brian Idowu who are both natural full backs and will retain better defensive discipline.
As for Mikel, he is the skipper and will surely start if fit. He will hold on to the ball well and use it efficiently but will he be capable of giving the killer pass regularly? On current form, will he be able to inspire the team like he did against Cameroun and Algeria during the qualifiers?
Rohr has to work some magic to bring out the best in our key men. Only Iwobi at the moment seems capable of doing well at the World Cup.
5. A misfiring attack
The Super Eagles don't score many goals. This is partly due to a toothless attack. Ighalo our top striker needs several chances before he can score and with a midfield that does not create many, he won't get many chances to convert.
Nigeria needs a ruthless finisher. The only one who comes close is Kelechi Iheanacho. But for obvious reasons, Rohr prefers Ighalo who has the strength and can hold up play bringing in other players to join the attack.
Simy Nwankwo could provide the cutting edge we lack in the attack as he has everything Rohr would need from a point man but for him to do this he has to do a 'Schillaci' before he can upstage Ighalo.
Will Rohr give him the chance? Has he adapted to the Super Eagles style of play and forged an understanding with his team mates in order to do this since his next game will be his third cap?
These are the areas Gernot Rohr needs to earn his corn. If he can crack these problems between now and June 16, then expect a decent showing from the Super Eagles. They may or may not qualify out of their group but they will not be leaving the tournament in disgrace.
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