By Boluwatife Adebeso

Inter Lagos interim coach Olusanjo Olutayo has threatened to weed out players he described as ‘cowards’ following his side’s 1–1 draw against Ranchers Bees in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 11 encounter at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, on Sunday.

The result left Inter Lagos bottom of the table with three points from 11 matches after a three-point deduction. Olutayo expressed “incredible disappointment” with his players, questioning their mentality and tactical understanding while threatening to weed out those who fail to meet his expectations.

 “If I have cowards in my team, we are going to keep on having these issues. But don’t worry, we’ll weed them out. We’ll weed out the soft players in the team and players who cannot recollect information at a high level,” he said.

The coach also insisted that his expectations were justified by the standard of the NPFL, stressing that his players had received clear tactical instructions and adequate preparation ahead of the encounter.

 “This is the NPFL, the highest tier. I don’t need to be dumbing down ideas for players over here. We had video meetings and individual group sessions across all positions, particularly on communication. If they do not execute, there is an issue because the ideas are clear,” Olutayo stressed.

Olutayo, however, remained confident of turning the team’s fortunes around, insisting that he was not under pressure despite the club’s position, but was disappointed by his players’ failure to meet his expectations. “I didn’t come here to get relegated. I don’t feel pressured, but incredibly disappointed,” he added.

The Inter Lagos boss will now turn his attention to a tough Lagos derby against Ikorodu City on Sunday, November 8, as he seeks his first win and a turnaround of  Inter Lagos’ fortunes.