A former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West has stated that he saw the spirit of the US ’94 in the current national team side when he visited their camp.
He also provided reasons he believes the team fell 2-1 to England at Wembley last Saturday.
West also spoke on what may be the performance of coach Gernot Rohr’s men when they file out against the Czech Republic this afternoon.
According to the former Eagles star, the team will put up a better performance against the Czech Republic in Austria on Wednesday.
Taribo, who represented Nigeria at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, said the Nigerian squad would have learnt from their mistakes against England, saying he expects a more assured outing against the Czechs.
“In the first half, the Eagles had so much respect for the English and weren’t coordinated in the middle and sometimes at the back, but all that changed after the coach made some changes and we saw what the team could do. The Czech game would be different, I expect to see a better Eagles side on Wednesday,” Taribo told Punch.
He also backed the team to do well at the World Cup in Russia despite questions over the team’s ability to advance from Group D, which includes two-time world champions Argentina, Croatia and Iceland.
“This team will surprise bookmakers and people who have written them off. I had a chance meeting with some members of the squad in Abuja before they headed for London and I can see the spirit of the 1994 set in them. I believe they will do well in Russia.”
