Ex-Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has given two reasons why Nigeria will find it difficult winning the 2018 World Cup and this has nothing to do with their 2-0 loss to Croatia in their opening match.
The experienced French football tactician stated that the average age of World Cup winning teams are around 28 years – 2.1 years more than Super Eagles – with the youngest squad in Russia.
On top of that successful teams must have experienced defenders.
None of Nigeria’s rearguards that started against Croatia has been to the World Cup.
Wenger made the statement in relation to the French national team.
“It’s a real handicap. When you look at the average age of the national teams that have won the World Cup, it’s still around 27-28 years old,” the Frenchman told Ouest Franc.
”After, it depends where is the youth: when it is in the attack, it is not a problem. When it’s behind, it’s a real problem. But our defenders (France) are not inexperienced either.”
Two defensive-minded players under the age of 25, Oghenekaro Etebo and Wiliam Troost-Ekong, were culpable for the two goals conceded by Nigeria against Croatia last weekend.
The Eagles will hope to prove Wenger wrong by beating Iceland on Friday.
