Nigerian goalkeeper has been criticized for his performances in recent matches
Former Green Eagles goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala has blamed Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho’s recent lapses on the negligence of the team’s goalkeeping coach, Soccernet.ng reported.
Uzoho suffered a major setback with poor performances in Nigeria’s friendly games against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique in recent days.
Omonia Nicosia’s goalkeeper saved a direct free kick and fired the shot into his own net, giving Saudi Arabia the lead. The Eagles fought back and scored a 2-2 tie against the Green Falcons.
The 1980 African Cup of Nations winner stressed that it was unfair to blame Uzoho for the draw with Saudi Arabia.
Okara emphasized in an interview with the Guardian:
“The Super Eagles goalkeeping coach doesn’t seem to be doing his job well. He should be the one to blame, not Uzoho.”
Mr. Okala also emphasized the importance of proper training, saying:
“As a goalkeeper coach, I am responsible for teaching goalkeepers how to handle set pieces, including free kicks, how to position them and how to form a defensive line.”
Expressing his concern, Okala added,
“Some of the flaws you see during a match were not noticed during training.”
Following the recent match, Uzoho acknowledged his mistakes in the friendly against Saudi Arabia and admitted that those mistakes gave the opponent an advantage.
However, he urged fans to continue supporting him and highlighted the challenges of his key position.
“You can save 10 times and have good control of your area, but one mistake and people will forget all about it.”
In the final friendly against Mozambique on Monday, Uzoho’s performance was again criticized when he let an easy finish slip past him and into the net.
Still, the Super Eagles rallied to win 3-2, their first friendly win in 2019.
