The disappointment of Saturday's 2-0 defeat still hung heavy in the air at the Greece training camp in the northern Durban suburbs as the team prepared for Thursday's Group B clash in Bloemfontein.
A storm of criticism back home followed the loss with one newspaper calling for the team to be brought home rather than risk further embarrassing the nation, and others urging a less defensive approach.
Panathinaikos striker Salpingidis, who scored the goal against Ukraine that took Greece through the playoffs to South Africa, said there was little chance of a tactical switch.
"We have shown in big matches in recent years that we always have a compact defence and we play with fast counter-attacks and that's what we must do again," he told a news conference.
"In all the big matches we have played so far, that's the way we play."
The 2004 European champions take on Nigeria in search of not only their first victory in two World Cup campaigns but also their first goal.
Salpingidis, a second half substitute against South Korea, said the poor records were not something he or team mates were dwelling on.
"Statistics are for newspapers and media," he said. "We don't go on the pitch thinking about the past.
"The most important thing is to work as a team and achieve things as a team. History is made by teams and not by individuals in football."
'When PSG went 1-0 up against Liverpool, all of a sudden I started getting abused. At the end of the game, I felt like I grew 10 feet walking around Anfield!': Manchester United legend reveals sitting in home end of Champions League clash
'It’s unacceptable for Arsenal to be making the same mistakes year-after-year with the same manager': Gunners legend makes huge Mikel Arteta claim after Premier League failings
