Lagerback: Semis realistic target

Nigeria’s new Technical Adviser, Lars Lagerback said in Abuja on Thursday that a place in the Fifa World Cup semi-final is a realistic target for the Super Eagles.

“I wonder why people are pessimistic when they hear talk of semi final target. Every country that goes to a major championship wants to do well, and I believe Nigeria has the players to do well at this World Cup.

“Several people have asked me whether a semi-final place is not a dream, but I tell them that we can achieve it if we all work together – the players, the coaches, the administrators and the fans.”

Lagerback, the 61–year old Swede unveiled on Wednesday in Abuja as Nigeria’s new Technical Adviser, is scheduled to depart for Stockholm on Thursday and return to Nigeria in a couple of weeks to start the big job of taking the Super Eagles to its fourth World Cup finals appearance.

Lagerback was also formally introduced to Members of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation at a simple ceremony at Glass House in Abuja on Thursday morning.

Nigeria, in her debut in 1994, reached the World Cup Round of 16 and were two minutes away from a famous defeat of eventual finalists Italy in the United States of America.

Four years later, the Super Eagles also reached the Round of 16, losing 1-4 to Denmark. But the team crashed out at the group stage in Korea/Japan in 2002 and did not even qualify for the finals in Germany four years ago.

http://www.kickoff.com/2010/news/14213/lars-lagerback-semis-realistic-target.php
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Does anyone know why the NFF is so obsessed with semis?

If we can get out of that group then the semi-final is possible.

I Laff in Abeokuta

Semifinals target signifies intent. At the ANC it signifies intent to disappoint, at the WC it signifies intent to dazzle and astonish. I just checked the WC schedule. If we, Germany and England top groups B,C, and D respectively, then Germany is the toughest name we may meet at the quarters. 2nd round is as easy as it gets. And its relatively easy to top our group with Argentina lacking technical depth,greece and south korea not strong enough.Don't mind the friendlies, when the chips are down, our boys will do us proud. Largerback is definitely a man of intent.

We're good enough to go all the way but we need confidence, resorting back to our old deceptively lazy way of playing, abandoning headless chicken dashing about, and respecting opponents especially Korea and Greece.

Is good to dream, but lets dream a realistic one.

d'u expect d man(Lagerback) 2 say its unrealistic(considering d circumstances)??

He's just telling u wat u want 2 hear??

Semi-Final, . . Na Beans??

Nff is stupid. Our best ever team 94 could nt make it. Even lars wit his sweden could nt make it. S korea will open our yansh lik they did ivory coast. D truth is bitter we will nt win a single match

ednut1:

Nff is silly. Our best ever team 94 could nt make it. Even lars wit his sweden could nt make it. S korea will open our yansh lik they did ivory coast. D truth is bitter we will nt win a single match

Why do people talk like footie is mathematics, we have seen underrated teams pulling out impressive result and having a magnificent torny b4

Turkey came 3rd in 2002, Sweden semi finalist 94 same with Croatia in 98.

Here is a newsflash for you, in torny, it's not all about the the quality and squad depth  but how well you play on the day that matters

Does Senegal 1-0 france, Croatia 3-0 germany ring a bell

hahahhhaha i laugh in lager beer!

this man think say world cup na caf champions league?

Clearly, Oga Lager is living up to his name and with the low-level reception he got during his arrival (if there was any at all), he's nothing short of being six-feet deep and drunk in a bottle of cheap beer. Our odds against Argentina, next to nothing! South Korea recently turned worthy competition after destroying an Ivory Coast side that had all the regulars ergo no show for us from that side. The Greece game is the only likely fixture for a point and unless the NFA are working toward having South African militants spray bullets at either the Argentine or Koreans bus thus forcing a withdrawal, I would suggest we all laughed at his remark in kain-kain

time will tell,not likly though

@jalether

May God preserve us. Let us discuss this your optimism in June

I know that Nigeria will be given a propoer hiding even with Wenger, Hiddink & Ferguson on yoiur bench
Sane countries have been preparing - arranging credible friendlies

Since you mention Turkey. Imagine the difference - NFF announces intention to talk with, among other coaches, Hiddink. Less than 2 weeks later, without any previous public comment, Turkey signs on Hiddink

Difference between swagger and action!

all i can say is Okay, I'll be watching

Lagerbeer is only saying what he has to say.Remember he is going to earn a looooooot of money. Whether Nigeria qualifies from her group or not will not affect his income.

A wise man preying on the stupid

semi?

fire him

no coach in their right mind will enter a competition and start telling their world their aspirations for third place wtf

i'm watching MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

Fingers Crossed.

this man will soon find out the hard way that it's not even easy to make it thru prelim stages. he's talking with his mouth stuffed with money. It's like a man who wants to promise everyfn to a woman in order to get laid. Welcome to naija

person that cannot even take swedin to anywhere

This man get month oooooooo

Lars is bluffing.

Lagerback should allowed to do his job,enough pressure has been put on him already,we don't need people to start criticizing him when he hasn't even started,if he says his target is semi-finals and he can do it with the crop of players he has,then lets give him the benefit of doubt to do his job.Nigeria is a complex country already,he must have known a whole lot about this before even coming in the first place.

If the dude says its realistic with conviction, then I'm not gonna blab. He says we can do this then I say lets get on that optimistic train, cos that sad lorry we've been riding is brimming with bad smells. I'll put my money where his mouth is.

laga wetin back? going to semi finals, who knows the God father that want to share his salary with him this time, exactly what they did with pety goat oh sory beti volts i dont know if i got it right, but all i want to say is that they should stop playing with the heart of 150 million people.

it is a good one but let us see the boys first.
it will take a miracle for that to happen and i hope if he did not deliver he will return our money.

i laff in swedish,

not bad, atleast the guy has got balls/cahunnas.

let me see him in action during our friendlies and ill comment further.
till then, am still sipping english beer not swedish!!!

if God be with him who can be against him, everything is possible, even quarter final

Why not final and possibly bring the WC to Naija? Shallow thinker

may be his refering to caf Nation cup