Okoye aims to rescue Udinese's season
Maduka Okoye acknowledges the need for improvement to steer Udinese away from relegation to Serie B by the end of the season.
The former Super Eagles goalkeeper made these remarks following his team's 2-1 defeat against Inter Milan at the Bluenergy Stadium Udine on Monday evening.
Despite putting up three remarkable saves during the Serie A week 31 encounter, Okoye downplayed praise from Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi. Instead, he emphasized the importance of the team during the post-match press conference reported on the club's official website on Tuesday.
Reflecting on the match, Okoye conducted a self-assessment, acknowledging his mistakes and expressing determination to rectify them in future matches.
He expressed, "It's disappointing that it ended this way. We put in a good performance, but unfortunately, we didn't come away with any points. I should have blocked Calhanoglu's second shot. The most challenging moment was when I had to intervene shortly after our goal to stop Martinez. I need to do better in such situations. I hesitated thinking I could reach the ball first, which was powerful and centrally placed. I should have acted decisively; Thuram was unmarked, and I wanted to prevent him from getting to it. I need to learn to make quicker decisions."
"Praise is appreciated, but right now, Udinese's collective success is more important than individual recognition. The battle for survival is intense, and the team understands the gravity of the situation for us, the club, and the fans. There's no sense of fear in the locker room, but there's a palpable tension, as is common in such situations in sports. Currently, our focus is solely on the league standings. We're taking it one step at a time, and right now, our minds are solely on the upcoming match against Rome."
"I'm always vocal on the pitch; it greatly contributes to our game. Jaka Bijol provides stability; he's a robust and crucial player for us. I genuinely enjoy the city and everything about Udine. It feels like home to me."
Following Monday's defeat, Udinese slipped from 14th to 15th place in the standings, intensifying the relegation pressure with 28 points, just two points ahead of Frosinone in the 18th position among the 20-team league.
Another loss could potentially see them overtaken by either Empoli or Verona, who currently have 28 and 27 points, respectively.
Despite experiencing some cultural adjustment following his transfer from Watford last summer, Okoye has emerged as the team's primary goalkeeper, starting all 14 of his appearances in their 31 fixtures so far.
Next up for Udinese in Serie A is a home fixture against Roma on April 14th.
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