Jay-Jay Okocha has sternly criticised Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi for his side’s poor performance in their 0-0 Group G draw with Iran on Monday.
The first stalemate of the 2014 World Cup was a turgid affair with the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions struggling to carve out meaningful opportunities.
The result means Nigeria now face a battle to qualify for the next round, with Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina both expected to progress, and Okocha was clear that the fault lay with Keshi.
“We were poor but we hope to get better as the tournament progresses,” the 40-year-old told BBC Sport.
“This was a must-win for Nigeria but we did not take it. We did not do enough in terms of our tactical play. Keshi did not do enough work on the team.”
Okocha, who scored 14 in 74 games for Nigeria, now is on the technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation and gave damning assessment of Keshi’s overall decision-making.
“[Peter Odemwingie] was more creative when he came in, and we needed more in this game,” the retired midfielder added.
“The tactical play of Eagles was so bad, I hold Keshi responsible for this.
