Tianjin Teda of China midfielder, John Mikel Obi says he has put Wednesday’s loss to Czech Republic behind him, as he has instead set his mind on helping the Super Eagles do well at the World Cup.
He declared that the 1-0 loss in their last friendly game before the World Cup in Russia was as a result of many distractions they faced before and during the match, but believes it would be a different setting for them at the Mundial.
Mikel, who was on for a large part of the game, which was decided by a first half goal by Tomas Kalas, also blamed the defeat on rain that fell during the game in Austria.
He also cited the fact that they had to travel over an hour from their camp to the stadium where the game was played, thereby suggesting that fatigue played a part in the defeat.
The Eagles captain also dismissed fear about inexperience affecting the team, which have the youngest average age among teams that will participate at the World Cup, as he says Nigeria’s young players have gathered exposure from top level games in Europe.
Mikel stressed: “We need to focus on the task ahead and not read too much meaning into the friendly games results. It will be a different ball game when the World Cup starts in Russia.”
