Emmanuel Dennis was one of the Super Eagles players who rated low in the second-leg World Cup play off against Ghana and he was criticized for his refusal to play to instruction.

Dennis was handed his first Super Eagles start in the 1-1 draw at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, but the striker didn’t put a great shift on the night as Nigeria went on to concede the World Cup ticket to Ghana on away goals.

The 23-year-old couldn’t impact the team’s overall as expected; his attacking plays did not yield much and he was completely out of sorts defensively.

He was replaced in the 78th minute, making way for Odion Ighalo as Nigeria chased a vital second goal. But it never came.

Reviewing the player’s performance, Emmanuel Amunike admitted the coaching crew constantly reminded the striker on the need to help his teammates on the pitch during the game.

“The important thing is to the know the strength of your player. To know what he can do with and without the ball,” said Amuneke told BRL about the impact of Emmanuel Dennis.

“We called him and reminded him why he has to track back, but calling him is not just enough because each player has to understand their responsibility on the pitch.”

“I must admit each player has different abilities, some can defend better than the others and that’s why football is a team game.”