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2018 AWC: Super Falcons must overcome shaky start or…

 

Against all odds, the African Women defending champions, the Super Falcons faltered in their opening match against the Banyana Banyans in their AWC opening match in Ghana on Sunday.
After the Super Eagles were denied victory by the Gambia centre referee against the Bafana Bafana in Soweto on Saturday, we were all looking towards our female national team to at least claim another draw against their opponent but the Super Falcons disappointingly left the match without any point no thanks to the 85th minute strike by Thembi Kgatlana.
With such defeat, our girls face premature elimination from a tournament they have consistently made beyond the quarter and semifinals.
To avoid such calamity, the Super Falcons must ensure they score enough goals and pick up six points from their last two matches.
The team surely has the requisite experience and players to claim victory against Equatorial Guinea and Zambia.
Against South Africa, the Super Falcons dominated play for the better part of the match but it must however be said that coach Thomas Dennerby set up his team wrongly by starting the match with four strikers instead of two. The gaffer should have fielded two more midfielders in place of the strikers to create balance whenever the team is defending and attacking.
Playing with four strikers when a team is not chasing the game is suicidal and such formation most times cause confusion among the players especially in female football.
For all the dominance of the Falcons and the chances created by the team, the players are not quite clinical in front of goal.
Had the coach settled for Asisat Oshoala and Desire Oparanozie upfront, perhaps the team may have scored one or two goals.
Also, it appeared some of our players lacked motivation and played below their strength. Like it is the case in previous tournaments, it is possible that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are yet to pay the camp bonuses and allowance of the girls. Despite winning more laurels than any of our national teams, the Super Falcons are often treated with disdain by the NFF, such treatment has to stop otherwise we risk losing our dominance in female football.
The ill treatment from the NFF aside, the Super Falcons at this stage must concentrate on the task at hand by playing the best brand of football they are known for in Africa.
The girls must play as a team by defending and going on the offensive together. The coach must adopt either a 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 formation in our subsequent matches depending on our opponents and the situation.
Oshoala and Oparanozie should be given the right passes by the duo of Francesca Ordega and Rita Chikwelu while Tawa Ayinde may be first off the substitutes’ bench anytime the team needs bite in attack.
For our back four, they must not be flat-footed; they must offer better protection to the goalkeeper, Tochukwu Oluehi. Had the defenders responded early enough, the goal scored by South Africa may have been avoided.
Despite the defeat against Banyana Banyana, the Super Falcons cannot afford not to at least get to the African Women Championship final, to guarantee their place in the 2019 Women World Cup billed to take place in France.

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