₦airaland Forum

GeneralDae:
Ayinde is good as a defensive midfielder though and she was greatly missed. She just have to work on giving more accurate passes. For me, the midfield should be the combination of Payne, Ajibade, and Otu behind them.

Ayinde is simply the best at her role! She is even her club's best player- Okobi's club. Since she left, Super Falcons has not been the same. Ajibade should play on the wing - she's the best bet there. For me, the ideal midfield combination is Payne, Ayinde and Otu.

COACH

He really tried by introducing quality players, especially foreign based ones into the team- what local coaches wouldn't have done ; without him, we would still be struggling with the likes of Okobi, Oparanozie, Ordega, with no hope, whatsoever; players such as Payne, Onumonu, Plumptre, Zogg, etc, are such quality players who will improve the team.

Conversely, he has not created an impact on the team, All he does is just pick these "old players," because of experience, he has not been proactive - by ringing serious changes to the team, establishing young players on the team, he's shown no philosophy, style of football - I cringe seeing the players still playing stupid, old fashioned football with no direction - what they've basically been playing all these years, are very poor at set pieces, so uncomfortable with the ball at their feet. Infact, this is his real baptism of fire!

ALOZIE

It had been noticeable during the US Summer Series that the decision to play her as a full back might back fire. Alozie is a very good player, she's got pace, and has been doing well, but when it comes to her primary defensive duties, it's always seemed she would just make a mistake. I don't know if she could be tried as a midfielder, or she should just be left defending, while being properly drilled for the duty - Waldrum might just be trying too hard, but I'd really like to watch her play as a forward, just as she plays for her club.

GLORY OGBONNA

She's still not refined yet, she can really shine against lowly teams, but against quality teams, she's likely to make mistakes. I'd really like a better player to take that position(hope Patricia George will be able to do this), while she'll be a back up.

OGBONNA ESTHER

She's inexperienced, she needs that experience, but playing her against a quality side, in an important match, may spell bad.

EBI

She's been a defensive rock despite her age and low pace, she's often given her all, her experience has always been handy, little wonder all the coaches have preferred her. However, as I watched the South Africa match highlight, I noticed the silly error she committed, leading to the first penalty. Asides that, as she nears retirement, I think her experience is needed for the younger players, Who I think must be given prominent roles henceforth, so as to familiarize with the team.

IKIDI

She's got all the experience, but against quality sides, her speed usually becomes really disadvantageous to the team. She should, at best, be a substitute player.

OKEKE

I don't trust her, she isn't progressing well, even at club level, Alozie is obviously an upgrade over her.

CHIKWELU

She has been a liability to the national team for a long time now. I started watching her with keen interest since she was brought back into the team by Maureen Madu. Remember, coach Okon had earlier dumped her, together with the other old players, leaving only Ebi. Okon's decision prompted my curiosity in her game, and she proved Okon right. Each time I see her starting games (I'm always like... "Can't she just be a substitute?", I wonder what the coaches see in her- like, could it be her experience which is usually hardly felt?... Then, she just disappoints with her sluggish, abysmal display. I just knew one day, she would cause a major disaster.

OKOBI

Okobi stopped improving shortly after she left the shores of Nigeria, infact, she seems to be regressing. My suspicion is, the Swedish league is no more what it used to be, seeing that even their national team had recently become poor shortly, and after which their national team players started leaving to other top European leagues, today, they have become very strong again. Okobi even fails to be a strong force in her club. Thankfully Payne is around.

OTU

I've been very eager to watch her, and finally got to in the Mali match where she came in and helped stabilize the midfield, I was so impressed and wondered if the coach would start her next, but no, he stuck to Chikwelu. Though I never got to watch the match, from people's comments about her efforts, she is definitely a quality addition, she should take Chikwelu's position with immediate effect.

My analysis of the players:

OPARANOZIE

I don't know if it's old age, but she's been going down. Oparanozie has become very lazy ; she only prefers to be fed the final ball to score, she is very slow, doesn't bother to work hard on the pitch- her performance totally annoyed me at the last world cup, all these attributes, being a total contrast to the player she used to be when she started out.

ORDEGA

She played into the hearts of many fans some years ago, but the truth about her... She is not a goalscorer, shortly b/4 the world cup she became our best attacker, who in contrast to playing with flair, often had very minimal end product - she does not know when and when not to dribble, etc, her decision making has been poor. Today, she has lost all form, little wonder, Levante could not keep her; I'm afraid she's heading into oblivion.

OSHOALA

Despite being touted as our best attacker, she has not been it! She is largely "unpolished," misses chances a lot, both at club and national team, she's only lucky that she's surrounded by world class players at her club, who are ever capable of creating chances, after which she makes use of her asset -PACE. This asset is all she's got, and has still not developed other aspects of her game much. Hope coach Waldrum could develop a system where her pace would be fully exploited.


KANU

I like her... I really do, cos she's young, with so much energy to offer, and quite skillful... But, her decision making is very suspect.

Schemerkhiz:
Going by Experience and number of Caps Onome Ebi, Faith Ikidi, Rita Chikwelu and Osinachi Ohale are supposed to be in position for that...

Since Asisat Oshoala became Captain I haven't seen any impact from her in the team..
If not for the Ageing (Sluggish and can no longer meet up with the pace of the modern game) Onome Ebi and Rita Chikwelu they're still more impactful than Asisat Oshoala she hasn't really offered anything of recent.

Rita Chikwelu is the worst, sorry.

marvin906:
My question is that is the coach aware that this team needs a major overhaul..
Or he's still wants to force a miracle with theses old mama's..
Well I agree availability of our foreign based players is a concern..

He seems to really like old mamas.

Schemerkhiz:
I think Onome Ebi is already at 90+ Caps..
38yrs nor easy, a younger CB can come in immediately..

Time to Scout in from the NWFL....

My greatest pain right now is the injury to Patricia George at the wrong time, she's another quality option as a Full back or a Winger, Skillful, Strong and very fast.. I bet non of our current Defenders are as quick or skillful as her.. Just hope she recovers fully before next month.

Our major problem is getting quality full backs and Midfielders..

Regina Otu 25yrs should be our Defensive Midfielder henceforth, she's more than Capable and hope she moves to a tougher league Soon..

Thank Goodness Halimatu Ayinde has started minor work out... She should be fully back by early next year but we still need someone to play that spot for now...

Tony Payne holds that attacking Midfield role..

The rest can come in as Back up...

One Major problem we have been having of recent is the availability of the Players.. one issue or the other might deny them the chance of coming around...

Question is, do these coaches even rate Patricia? Watch out, when she's back, they'll still prefer using less worthy players.

marvin906:
Has he even played Nicole Payne once

Coach Randy does not like Nicole, she's only gotten a cameo appearance, and seems to not be considered worthy to play... It's disappointing cos I had actually wanted to watch and analyze her game.

GeneralDae:
She played at the Olympics, breaking some goal scoring records there. I believe in women's football, the Olympics is a bigger tournament than the UEFA champions league, or at least should be as far as African football is concerned.

I believe the Olympics actually gave her a global audience, and she seized the opportunity well ; she needs to get into a bigger club, though.

AkinDS:
That seems to be common place across the line with our Falcons - Oshoala, Ordega in particular, Oparanozie, Okobi and a host of others are guilty of that. Their default move is to first dribble, when a simple pass would be the most logical option.
Randy had a lot of work to do in coaching that out of them. South Africa seems to be well ahead of us in that regard.

This is so true.

darkelf:
Please remove iheanacho from that list immediately

That's an insult to the remaining two hardworking players

Iheanacho ke...bros you no try at all

Iheanacho is average on his best day

Very lazy and unambitious player

LOLS... Bros, no kill pesin o!

GeneralDae:
Asisat doesn't deserve it this time. Barbara Banda does.

Problem is, she doesn't play for conspicuous teams.

GeneralDae:
Barbara Banda would win it. To be fair, the likes of Babara and Chawinga are perhaps even better than both Oshoala and Thembi, but they play in very small teams in Africa especially Chawinga.

Barbara Banda, rather, is a worthy mention, not Kgatlana. I think she's even a better finisher than Oshoala, Chawinga is also another player I respect so much. The big advantage Oshoala has over them is that she plays for a much better club and national team.

marvin906:
We still need to look at Ebi retirement soon
And a partnership of ashleigh and ohale or Nicole Payne..
If we Meet a pacy team like Zambia
Our defense is gone

Yes, Ebi's time is definitely numbered ; she's always given her all, her experience has been handy all these years, but she's old. I have no idea why coach Waldrum does not rate Nicole Payne, but, yes, Ashleigh/ Ohale/ Zogg are very capable.

AkinDS:
And what exactly has Assisat done on the continent to deserve winning it?
Just because she played for Barcelona (as a reserve) and won the UEFA Cup?
Truth is, outside of that, she has been a major flop for the National Team this year (even as captain).
This tournament will be what most analysts will use to judge who is the best African player.
No doubt, Thembi was the better and more impactful player.

Actually, Asisat has been largely underwhelming as concerns the national team, but she continues to be impactful for her club, even as a reserve - she scores a lot of goals.

I am usually disappointed at how she plays for the national team, and maintain that she sits up, even as I've always stated that she's got a lot of things to learn - she's not refined! ... You see, one fact is, at Barca she is surrounded by such quality players that make the job very easy for her, meanwhile, in the national team, the reverse is the case, especially at the midfield - the players have been poor.

And no, this tournament alone, is never going to be used... Players' impact at club level will also greatly matter. Besides, there are still lots of matches left to play, or... When is it going to be announced?

skallion7:
Thembi Kgatlana is 2021 is African women player of the year in waiting, really?

She's actually not done enough to deserve it - Asisat will win, mark my words!

AkinDS:
A weakened Ghanaian team? Ghana didn't concede 3 goals in the first half.
Like I said, we may be withnessing a dramatic changing of the guard in African women's football.
South Africa has played and is playing the BEST football in this tournament. Its not about gra-gra (Nigeria), its about playing intelligently and taking your opportunities (South Africa). That's how you become a world class team. Kudos to Desire Ellis who has built a very strong SA team over the years.

Nigeria is still relying on the likes of Chikwelu, Oparanozie, Ordega who are not only tired legs, but have been scouted for years by other African teams, to the extent they know their every singular move. Time to change out the old guard.

Lets hope this doesn't end up worse, as nothing stops the SA team from scoring more goals

Though I watched from highlights, I still maintain that, that South African team is not too big for us to handle, we still possess the players to handle them! The coach just needs to start taking his job seriously ; I'm one of the few people who have always spoken against such players like Chikwelu, Okobi, Oparanozie.

It is worth noting that we've paraded a very poor midfield for too long ; the Chikwelu / Okobi led midfield has been an abysmal one, and a large part of the problem the attackers have been facing.

Embarrassing! Interestingly, I did not watch.
I have always maintained that Chikwelu is washed up ; she's shown these signs long before now. She should never start any match for us, atleast. Infact, she should leave, Okobi has faded, Oparanozie has become too slow for sometime now, a lot of people thought we were missing something big when she got left out of the team. This present Ordega is a different one from the one we've always known, she may be heading to oblivion.

Good thing is, we still have players who can help us dominate the entire continent. Iffy Onumonu is currently one of our best strikers, Esther Okoronkwo is young and promising, Rasheedat Ajibade is our very best winger ;she was greatly missed, this Kgatlana has got nothing on her - they play for the same club, Tony Payne has got no competition, she is the best by miles at her position- what a lot of people failed to see, instead, rather relying on Okobi who's a shadow of herself. Since Ayinde got injured, the team has got no replacement for her ; every other one they've tried has been "fake."

We also have Osinachi whose absence has been greatly felt, I believe with the return of Plumptre, Patricia George, we'll be great, Zogg is progressing well. Regina Otu has to take over from Chikwelu immediately. It's worth noting that these South African players are not even experienced, we only need to put the necessary things in place. In all, this is a wake up call to Nigeria at this time cos we have been too relaxed all this while.

LOL... What did I just read?

AkinDS:
Kgatlana is faster than Ebi. And I have little or no confidence in Akudo Ogbonna.
It will be an interesting game as after the first set of games, South Africa seems to be playing the best football of the six teams.

They are playing the best football cos they defeated that weakened Ghanaian team? From the highlights I watched, I did not notice anything special in their play, or... You watched the full match?

[quote author=chatinent post=105942030]

chatinent:
My God!


Inasmuch as I love dogs but don't usually want more than two, I don't think it is the dog owner's fault. I don't see anything he did wrong.


Besides, what breed of dogs are those?

Dogs don't eat humans!

Why are the traditional leaders quick to persecute the man! Just why!

Do they sell fish because sth is fishy already!

I don't trust village people at all!

Something is wrong with you! The owner of those dogs deserves to die!

Terrible! Can't begin to imagine!!

She looks so good for her age.

Morningblues:
You should be worried about your life or where you’ll see your next meal from

This doesn’t affect you nor me, physically, financially or mentally. Live and let live

So you basically posted this so people would applaud them? You seem to really love what they are doing.

I never watched from first half, judging from the second half, I observe thus:

Tony Payne is head and shoulders above all her competitors, she was greatly missed.
Rasheedat Ajibade has become a very strong force on the team, she was also missed.

Rita Chikwelu has completely lost it ; she used to be a classy player when she was young, all that class has been washed away by 'old age.'
Ngozi Okobi, on her part, is not improving significantly, this, I have always maintained. The midfield needs a lot of improvement ; Better midfielders should be welcomed.

Regina Otu is a very good player, while Rita is gradually eased from the team, she needs to be fully integrated into the team, I like her energy, too. Amarachi Okoronkwo is too unrefined.

Onome Ebi, despite her age, is still the best central defender on the team.
Faith Ikidi... Hmm... I have lately written her off, but from her performance today, it's clear that her experience is 'golden.'

Asisat is adding more dimension to her game... All this time she's spent at Barca couldn't be a waste na... It's refreshing that, apart from scoring, she can create beautiful chances for others to score.
Francisca Ordega's physical condition is still questionable, she's prone to mistakes too.

Gift Monday is a star in the making. I only really got to watch her moves today within the limited time, however, she needs to get herself into a top league so as to reach her potential. Don't have an idea about Oparanozie's performance today.

The team is very poor at set pieces ; the only player to rely on when taking is Payne, even as they cannot make anything out of it... Oparanozie used to be very good at free kick conversion... Don't know what's going on with her..

Overall, the second half display was very good.

Really interesting!

OMG! Beautiful!!

NONSENSE!!!!!!!!!!!

Beloved3:
Note: This post is only for information purpose and does not in any way attempt to undermine the unity of the state of Nigeria.
Readers are solely responsible for their interpretations.

Dele Alampasu
Matthew Yakubu

Ola Aina
Jamiu Collins
Brian Idowu
Moses Odubajo
Leon Balogun
Semi Ajayi
Tosin Adarabioyo*

Joe Dele Aribo
Samson Tijani
Dele Bashiru
Ramon Azeez
Ovie Ejaria*

Ademola Lookman*
Taiwo Awoniyi
Victor Osimhen*
Tolu Arokodare



We have a very weak squad.
But can hold up to any team with a 4-3-3 starting line up like;

Alampasu

Ola Aina
Leon Balogun
Semi Ajayi
Jamiu Collins

Samson Tijani
Ovie Ejaria
Joe Aribo

Ademola Lookman
Victor Osimhen
Taiwo Awoniyi

What does this mean?