Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has expressed his disappointment with the way Nigeria lost 0-2 to Croatia in their opening World Cup 2018 group D game on Saturday.
Speaking on Russian TV station RT, the coach who predicted that Nigeria will advance ahead of Croatia before the start of the World Cup faulted the decision of coach Gernot Rohr to play John Obi Mikel as the number ten of the Nigerian team during the game.
Mourinho coached Mikel in two different spells at Chelsea and according to him, the Tianjin Teda man is at his best if played from a deep role as he will be able to dictate the pace of the game unlike when he is played up the pitch where the tempo is higher.
” I was sad and disappointed the way they (Nigeria) lost. I looked at the composition of the team. On paper they have some good players . Croatia now look better placed to qualify from this group”, Mourinho said negating his pre tournament prediction where he said Nigeria will qualify.
He went further by saying Mikel should have played as the defensive midfielder of the team and not as the playmaker ” Mikel is not a No 10, he is a No 6″, the coach who signed Mikel to Chelsea where he spent ten and half seasons said.
popejp
82
Tell him Jose if he will hear you. You know him better having work with him at Chelsea in your two terms. Rohr should pair Mikel and Etebo as the defensive midfielders and iwobi or iheanacho 10 supportting strike.
dadorius
63
I said it ...this Nigeria coach is a rookie he only wanna take advantage of our country where we don't value what we have Nd always looking elsewhere for what we have in abundance, instead of wasting million of dollars on this guy,there are alot of better indigenous coaches in naija that are much more better than him...or why do we have the (NIS) the school where they train coaches for ..in fact it's a pity... naija government need to wise up
GoullaJr
60
Mourinho is right. From the beginning I thought Rohr could not see well but after hearing what Mou said I now know he does not even know his players best positions
abubilal
49
rohr should listen to mourinho because mourinho coached Mikel for years, he knows him very well whatever he says about him is true. if you can remember that when mourinho was coaching them back in 2004 he has essien and balack and makalele then, he always makes sure whenever he used Mikel he plays him in the number 4 position because he has tackles a lot, interceptions and passes to the estent that he was put on level with Messi then. ND was rated has having passed than scholes then where did he achieved this? he achieved it from the number 4 position under who? mourinho and that's why rohr should listen to him attentively.