Flying Eagles coach Aliyu Zubairu has blamed the team’s lack of cutting edge for their inability to win the just-concluded U-20 Nations Cup in Egypt.
Nigeria suffered a 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the semi-finals of the competition before defeating hosts Egypt in the third place to win the bronze medal.
The team qualified for the U-20 World Cup in September but Zubairu has opened up on areas of improvement ahead of the competition.
He said, “One of our key challenges throughout the tournament has been our lack of clinical finishing.
“That problem persisted against Egypt. From our very first match until this point, we’ve created chances but failed to convert consistently.
“If you look at all our matches, you’ll see that we often start well.
“Our transitions from defence to midfield are effective, but once we get to the final third, we become wasteful. We lack sharpness in front of our goal.”
Zubairu described the bronze medal as a consolation despite not being the team’s major target.
He said, “We didn’t come here aiming for the bronze medal, but half a loaf is better than none.
“It was a good match overall. Although we had already qualified for the World Cup, this game still meant a lot to us. It was important to finish strong.
The El-Kanemi coach also addressed the team’s penchant for conceding early goals before bouncing back to win but they failed to do that against South Africa.
Zubairu said, “No coach in the world would deliberately allow his team to concede first as a tactic. Any coach who claims that would be playing with fire. In our case, it wasn’t by design; it was carelessness.
“When they concede, it seems to ignite something in them. They come out with intensity and fight back. That is a strong mental quality in this team.”
Meanwhile, Flying Eagles captain Daniel Bameyi was named in the team of the tournament following the impressive performances for Nigeria.
The Flying Eagles will shift their attention to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, billed to hold from September 27 to October 19.
