Head Coach of the Nigeria’s U-20 Team, Aliyu Zubairu has stated why the team could not reach the final of the just concluded tournament.
Though Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-1 on penalties in the third-place playoff after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, there had been hopes in many soccer quarters of the country’s representatives reaching the finals.
The head coach of the team has however come forward now to state why the team could not proceed further, despite already qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
He said the boys lacked clinical finishing in front of goal adding:
“One of our key challenges throughout the tournament has been our lack of clinical finishing.
“That problem persisted again today. 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 goal.”
Zubairu described the bronze medal won by the team as a consolation prize, admitting that it was not the team’s original target
“We didn’t come here aiming for the bronze medal, but half a loaf is better than none,” he said.
“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.”
When asked to rate his team’s overall performance at the tournament, Zubairu returned the question to the media, suggesting that journalists might be in a better position to make an objective assessment.
“From 1 to 10, maybe you, the journalists, are better placed to do that objectively,” he remarked.
Addressing Nigeria’s trend of conceding early in matches before mounting comebacks, Zubairu was clear that it was not by design.
“No coach in the world would deliberately allow his team to concede first as a tactic,” he said
“Any coach who claims that would be playing with fire. In our case, it wasn’t by design, it was carelessness.”
He however praised the resilience of Nigeria’s U-20 Team, describing their ability to fight back as a key psychological strength.
“When they concede, it seems to ignite something in them,” Zubairu Punch.
“They come out with intensity and fight back. That is a strong mental quality in this team.”
Nigeria’s U-20 team will now shift focus to preparations for the World Cup in Chile, with Zubairu indicating that addressing their inefficiency in front of goal will be top priority.