Udinese goalkeeper Daniele Padelli has jumped to the defence of Nigerian international Maduka Okoye, insisting the Super Eagles goalkeeper should not be made responsible for the Italian club’s difficult start to the season.

Okoye has faced growing criticism during Udinese’s struggles, with the Nigerian conceding 25 goals and recording just one clean sheet in 11 appearances this campaign. His form has also coincided with his omission from Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Tanzania.  

But Padelli believes the criticism has unfairly targeted the 27-year-old, arguing that goalkeeping mistakes and poor results are often used to identify an individual scapegoat rather than address wider team problems.

“In these situations, you look for a scapegoat. It’s happened to everyone, it happened to me too,” Padelli said on the TV 12 programme.  

The experienced Italian goalkeeper pointed to Udinese’s recent meeting with Venezia, where Filip Stankovic was, in his assessment, the more decisive goalkeeper, as evidence that the team’s problems should not simply be placed on Okoye.

“Against Venezia, however, the most decisive goalkeeper for the result was Stankovic. We’re trying to build a team identity, not focus on individuals,” he added.  

Padelli believes Udinese’s difficulties are collective, particularly after conceding goals, which he said can trigger a damaging loss of confidence and leave the team increasingly vulnerable.

“We’re not doing everything poorly; we’ve created some things, but the ball is now very important. If the team isn’t playing well, even the individuals struggle,” he said.  

The veteran goalkeeper also called on the squad to overcome what he described as a period of “mental fragility”, insisting that Udinese still have enough quality to turn their season around.

“We need to get out of this moment of mental fragility; we need a breath of fresh air. I think this team is capable of recovering and having a good season. Luckily, we still have time,” Padelli said.  

Padelli’s comments come as Udinese begin a new chapter under manager Javier Zanetti, with the club looking to restore defensive stability and rebuild confidence after a difficult run. The goalkeeper recently stressed that the priority under the new coach is to establish defensive certainty and stop conceding goals.  

The support for Okoye from a senior teammate offers encouragement at a difficult point in his season as the Nigerian will now be hoping to use the international break to work on his form and return stronger when club football resumes.

Udinese’s challenge, however, appears bigger than the performance of one goalkeeper and Padelli wants the club to rediscover its collective identity rather than continue searching for an individual to blame.