Keshi blames Super Eagles’ Draw with Greece on Players’ Anxiety to Impress
Super Eagles’ Head coach, Stephen Keshi has chastised his players for their performance against Greece in a pre-World Cup friendly played in Philadelphia, USA on Tuesday.
Keshi who spoke at the post-match conference, said the team did not play according to the pre-planned pattern in the match that ended goalless and attributed their performance to a desperation to impress and justify their inclusion in the World Cup squad.
He said, “It’s a game we should have won easily but here we are not playing to our style. We play possession football and press the opposition to give up but we didn’t do that till towards the end of the game. But it’s part of the learning curve and we will get there before the World Cup starts.”
Keshi who was particular about Osaze Odemwingie, saying the player was eager to give what he thinks he had not given during his absence in the last two years and in the process made mistakes.
“Osaze is one of our versatile players who can play anywhere in the forward line and he tried to give his all against Greece but it was simply not his day. Even when I shifted him to the right wing, he kept pushing. But as a footballer I knew he had to rest and give his best at the World Cup,” he said.
Regarding the game against USA on Saturday, Keshi said he expects a better game from the Eagles.
“With Jurgen Klinsmann in charge, we expect a little bit of German mentality but we have a Nigerian antidote and we hope to see a better game.”