Nigeria have been extremely poor in the last five matches, which has raised the concern ahead of the 2013 African cup of nations.

The manager once again saw his team put an extremely disappointing performance in the recent match against Cape Verde. Nigeria were playing against Cape Verde in the second of the friendly match ahead of the African cup of nations. After failing to assert any major advantage over the minnows, Nigeria only managed a 0-0 draw. The manager Stephen Keshi lambasted his players by saying that it was not good enough.

The team not only failed to assert any advantage in the match, but their passing was also well below the standards. Despite having the likes of John obi Mikel and Victor Moses in the squad, they were unable to take advantage of the friendly match that was the final preparation ahead of the 2013 cup of nations. Nigeria will be playing against the current holders of the cup – Zambia, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso in the group stages of the competition. The team has managed just two victories in the last five matches in all competitions, which has increased the pressure on the manager Keshi.

“If the Eagles had played the way they engaged Catalonia, that they would have won the tie. I won’t lie to Nigerians, the mood in camp is not good at all. The players and coaches are not happy at all and I can also tell football fans that Keshi really tongue lashed the players. He said the team disappointed him and feels that millions of Nigerians would have felt the same way," said the Nigeria media officer, Ben Alaiya. Alaiya also said that the kick by Victor Moses on the Cape Verde player Nando was also not the best, and he was criticised by the manager.