Werder Bremen manager Horst Steffen has once again voiced his frustration over the performance level of Nigerian striker Victor Boniface, following their 1-1 draw against Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Boniface, who joined Bremen on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, has not been able to hit top gear since arriving at the club. Instead of showing improvement, the same struggles that have been present in recent matches continued in the Mainz fixture, raising more questions about his impact in the team.
Steffen, speaking after the game, openly admitted that he expected more from the Super Eagles forward and was far from satisfied with what he saw on the pitch. German media outlet Bild rated the striker a 5, reflecting a rather quiet evening with little to influence the game.
The 23-year-old failed to register a single shot on target and did not provide an assist across the entire 90 minutes. He also completed only 53 percent of his passes with just 28 touches, highlighting his limited involvement in key moments of the match.
“He tries to hold onto the ball in the attacking point,” Steffen told Bild. “But today I said to myself… he can do much better than this.”
So far this season, Boniface has just one assist to show from seven league appearances for Werder Bremen- a statistic that has not helped his growing criticism.
This is also not the first time Steffen has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Boniface’s output. After their 3-0 loss to Freiburg on matchday four, Steffen pointed out that the striker was too “everywhere” on the pitch and not decisive enough in finishing positions.
With the season progressing and pressure increasing, Boniface will need to respond quickly if he wants to secure more trust from the manager and justify his presence in the starting lineup.
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