Unimpressed by his side’s work rate in their goalless draw with Katsina United in Thursday’s preparatory friendly for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) decider against Egypt on March 25 and 29, respectively, the interim coach of the Super Eagles, Samson Siasia, has challenged the Super Eagles home stars to show they can be relied on to deliver the goods in crucial matches whenever the need arises.
The side, made up mostly of home-based professionals, struggled to continue their opponents played inside the main bowl of the National Stadium, Abuja.
“We have to step up our commitment level and show more seriousness,” the coach, furious, opened up to his players.
“I am yet to see that hunger in all of you in all the friendly matches we have played so far, since we opened this camp. We are facing Egypt in about two weeks and we will not stand any chance against them if we do not change our attitude.
“How can we, the Super Eagles, play against this NNL team and fail to create one clear-cut goal-scoring opportunity? If we cannot create chances in this kind of games, when and where will we be able to create them? I know we are far better than this performance and will improve but we have to do so very quickly; we are racing against time.”
Since opening camp last Sunday in Abuja, the side has played three friendly games, two of them against the Rio Olympics-bound Nigeria U-23 team. They have managed to score twice and, also, conceded two goals, a situation that the coaches would want changed as preparation shifts to a higher level in the coming days