Mikel Slams Croatia Coach For Intending To Leave Out His Best Players Against Iceland

Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has called on Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic to be professional and not rest players against Iceland in their final Group D game at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The Croats are already through to the knockout stages after winning their opening two games against Iceland Argentina.

The Super Eagles bounced back from the defeat against Croatia by edging out Iceland 2-0 on Friday and a win or draw against Argentina in their final group game will be enough for them to move into the second round depending on the outcome of the game between Croatia and Iceland.

Dalic hinted after the 3-0 win against Argentina on Thursday that he will rest some of his top stars for the game against Iceland next Tuesday, a decision Mikel is not happy with.

“I think it’s not the right decision in this situation. This is a giant race and you can not rest men. You do not have to give other teams a better chance to move on,”
Mikel told reporters after his team’s win against Iceland
“They should showcase professionalism and play their best team. This is too big a stage to be resting players.”