TheCable

The 2-0 loss suffered at the hands of Serbia would have given Gernot Rohr an opportunity to identify potential weaknesses, and strengths, in his team.

On Tuesday, he made four changes to the team that beat Poland last week but Nigeria bowed to Aleksandar Mitrovic’s brace at the Hive Stadium.

Here are five things we learned from Eagles’ loss.

Defence still a concern

Chidozie Awaziem takes the chunk of the blame for the manner of Serbia’s opener. There are question marks over his strength in dealing with crosses.

The Nantes defender – and Tyronne Ebuehi – struggled with the physicality and pace of the Serbian frontline throughout the game. With Leon Balogun missing in action, the backline struggled to match the Serbs.

Shehu Abdullahi can sleep easy

A lot of the pre-match build-up was dominated by Rohr’s decision to field Ebuehi at right-back, with many suggesting he could make the position his own.

In reality, the Ado Den Haag lad didn’t look up to the job and was regularly caught out off position.

Shehu Abdullahi, whose position was said to be under threat, will sleep easy knowing he remains unchallenged for now.

Is Uzoho ready for the big challenge?

The Deportivo La Carina youngster was noticeably jittery at some points in the game. He made some good saves but flapped at crosses when called upon.

Solid Ndidi

Despite the loss, Wilfred Ndidi was Nigeria’s best player on display with his ball-winning performance and deft touches. His all-action performance will have given Rohr much to think about.

Mikel and Etebo were missed

Once again, the midfield lacked the direction John Obi Mikel and Oghenekaro Etebo would have offered. Their respective ability to spark creativity in the team was also missed.

Playing Ogenyi Onazi and Ndidi at the same time is something Rohr should look into. They provide similar services.