Has Randy Waldrum Reconnected Fans With The Super Falcons Following A Winning Streak?
The much criticized coach of the Super Falcons of Nigeria Randy Waldrum stated three key areas of the team's approach he intends to sharpen ahead of the eagerly anticipated Women’s World Cup in the summer.
"[After this successful Turkey tour] what's next for the Super Falcons is to go to the training camp for a few weeks prior to commencement of the world cup. This period will help us to work on (1) our shape, (2) passing quality and (3) movement." Said Randy Waldrum in an NFF video release after the 3:0 thumping of New Zealand on Tuesday.
"But we are getting there," he added. " We already saw [marked] improvements in these areas in our recent games."
Love him or loathe him, one cannot discount what Waldrum said about improvements in his team's recent performances, which is undeniable.
Before their first win (in seven games) against Costa Rica in February, the Super Falcons failed to score a single goal in their last 3 games prior. But now, they found the back of the net 6 times in their most recent 3 games giving a ratio of 2 goals per 1 game.
In that time, they also kept clean sheets against Costa Rica and New Zealand. You have go all the way back to July last year against Cameroon at the Wafcon for when they last managed to keep a clean sheet.
Also, for a team that seldom defeats oppositions ranked higher than them in the Fifa rankings, the Super Falcons made it 2 wins out of 2 against Costa Rica and New Zealand - both placed above Nigeria in the Fifa rankings.
Behind these heartwarming statistics are the technical injection and tactical tweaking infused into the team's play by Waldrum which yielded much fruit.
The proof, as they say, is in the puff puff.
But they can't rest on their laurels.
The team's game is still rough around the edges in certain areas. Their passes can be erratic at times ; communication seems to break down on occasions; they do manage to create scoring opportunities which they they then fail to finish off; and they aren't always as imaginative, neat, fluid, flamboyant and forceful as one would expect of a Super Falcons outfit.
There is still much to do to mould them into a well oiled, well drilled machine, something the American gaffer himself alluded to.
But, the building blocks are there and the team is definitely moving in the right direction with the recent hattrick of victories.
There is now renewed hope and optimism in some quarters that perhaps this team will be capable of pulling a rabbit out of their hat come the World Cup in the summer. There are other fans who still remain skeptical despite the team's recent vein of form.
Whichever side of the divide one might belong, we all have to now wait and see what will go down in the summer .
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