Posted by By Brian Homewood on
Nigeria's players have accepted the criticism of coach Samson Siasia, who publicly berated them for inconsistency despite reaching the last eight of the Olympic soccer tournament.
BEIJING, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Nigeria's players have accepted the criticism of coach Samson Siasia, who publicly berated them for inconsistency despite reaching the last eight of the Olympic soccer tournament.
Nigeria, the first African team to win the tournament, displayed moments of skill and flair with astonishing carelessness in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the United States.
"We're still a young team and sometimes we don't show maturity at the right times, like when we were 2-0 ahead," said Victor Anichebe after a 2-1 win over the United States.
"That's the time when you just need to keep the ball. You don't need to go forward in numbers, or make rash challenges at the back."
Goalscorer Victor Obinna added: "Maybe he noticed a few things among some of the players, maybe he saw one of two them quarrelling among themselves.
"He knows what he wants, he knows his players and really tries to bring the best out of them."
Nigeria, who face fellow Africans Ivory Coast on Saturday, have often blown their chances at major tournaments in the past with rows over bonuses, confusion over training camps and last-minute changes to the coaching staff.