Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Dosu says he’s confident the Super Falcons can eliminate England in the round of 16 of the ongoing 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Recall that Nigeria finished runners-up in Group B with five points after a goalless draw with Ireland on Monday.
A day after that, the Lionesses trounced China 1-6 to confirm the matchup with Coach Randy Waldrum’s girls.
Reacting to this titanic clash, the Atlanta Olympic gold medalist in a chat with Completesports.com said that the Super Falcons will pull one of the greatest upset of the competitions against England.
“This is a mouth-watering clash and a big test for the Super Falcons in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
“I know some football pundits will tip England as favourite to overcome Nigeria but this is a type of game that will spur the Super Falcons players up and give them the extra push to defeat England.
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53 Comments
Lool! Mehn -where do they get these people from? – If you are going to make such a bold statement at least back it up with some tactical talk or something, anything rather than just a sweeping declaration – It’s not like you are playing or coaching the team or have any impact either way into the dynamics of how the game could potentially go and yet you can just come here and say that England who are “arguably” currently the best female team in the World are not a threat to Nigeria with their toothless attack, nna make una they cool down with all this talk na, Oga O!
Don’t get me wrong O, I am not saying that it is impossible, but we must reason the matter well and leave no stone unturned if we are to have any chance – the way that England are playing and puffing goals right now is not a joke O!
I fault your answer my brother. Dosu’s an ex international that understands the rudiments of the game more properly than most of us.Defeating England’s a possibility.Remember the Haiti girls the lionesses defeated by a lone goal in the group stage.. was also beaten by our super Falcons two months ago.The scoreline was 2-1 to our advantage. I’m not undermining the obvious strength of the lionesses, but, this is football n anything can happen. It could go either way.I put my money on the super falcons to cause an upset.
My bro – I wouldn’t put anything on it if I were you oh..lol
But remember I also added that I’m not suggesting it is impossible, anyone who knows anything about football knows it’s 11 vs 11 and anything can happen on the day but all I am saying is that we needed to have a practical approach to how we will prosecute the game, not with our toothless attack with Oshoala, we must come better than that – we all know the saying, fail to plan is plan to fail
Dosu must look up the word “threat” in the dictionary. That is assuming he actually made the statement accredited to him.
thank you for your reply dosu
I have a strong feeling too that upset is possible. The super falcons haven’t stretched themselves yet. I have noticed something about the girls that if they shed their fright no team could beat them
Some of you just sit in front of the TV, you practically don’t know anything about the game. Everything that man said was right. He just simply said it’s good when the super falcons are the underdogs, it spurs them to work. He’s a Nigerian and an expert in the game…in situations like this, he’s only required to encourage the team…make them know it’s possible, and that’s what he did. Moreover, English teams always find it difficult to play against a team physical like the super falcons. Learn some respect….at least this man has played and coached for many years, he definitely knows better than you.
Am surprised this is coming from the mouth of Dosu . How can England not be a threat to Nigeria. We like to deceive our ourselves in this country that is why things keep going down for us. It will take more than luck for England not to bat us, yes it’s possible we beat them , but we fans will sit at the edge of our seats all throughout the match. Oh lord our God don’t mind this ex player called Disu, have mercy on the team and let your light shines on Super Falcon when they meet European champion.
LMAO from now till R16 these Exes will finish us!
I’m not comfortable with the caption. As much as I want the Super Falcons to win, I know it’s going to be a very difficult match for Nigeria. If we stick to our game planes against Canada and Australia, and be more clinical on the counter, defeating the Lionesses will not be impossible?
I really want Nigeria to beat England to quieting their ever loudmouth fans. They will definitely underrate us and I just hope we can take advantage of it. I pray for an upset.
My Most Scathing Criticisms Yet of The Super Falcons
Our formation is commendable defensively and we do create credible goal scoring opportunities. My biggest problem is that, in this tournament Nigeria is yet to unearth a ruthless sniper.
Toni Payne is good at driving at defenses but no killer instinct.
Oshoala has to be the most predictable and plastic high profile centre forward in the whole tournament.
Onumonu is goal shy.
Gift Monday is profligate and naive.
Rasheedat Ajibade does not get into promising positions enough.
To score goals, I think we need a double act upfront. I will recommend a 5-2-1-2 formation, exactly what England used today against China.
Onumonu and Oshoala are ineffective individually. But as a double act, I think they can be too hot to handle.
Another deadly duo could be Onumonu – Kanu or Onumonu – Okoronkwo.
Payne can hold her own as the centre attacking midfielder with Ayinde and Ucheibe serving as the double pivot.
Plumptre and Alozie are excellent wingbacks, Alozie delivering crosses and Plumptre launching long balls.
I have no problem Ebi coming back to shore up the back line of 3.
Seriously, I think 3-5-2 when attacking and 5-2-1-2 when defending is a potential option for England.
But I think Waldrum will stick to his 4-2-3-1 which is fair enough.
However, based on what I have seen, either Oshoala or Onumonu lacks bite and guile of a lone centre forward; Onumonu is definitely wasted as a winger; Payne is overworked in centre attacking midfielder; Kanu is a mixed bag on the wings; Okoronkwo lacks penetration and fluidity on the wings; Echegini is a lightweight midfield substitute; while Monday is more style less substance.
Harsh of me to say these things but, the truth is that our game has shortcomings in front which is why we only scored in one game out of three despite (in fairness) creating good chances.
Will 4-2-3-1 work against England in landing the ball in the back of the net? With Gift Monday and Rasheedat Ajibade far on the wings and Onumonu struggling and failing to cut inside, with Oshoala apply poor finishing touches, I don’t think so. Payne is so overworked in this formation that, when she gets a chance to shoot, there’s nothing left in the tank making her shots feeble.
Also, at the back, we are not particularly impregnable. The defensive midfielders have to constantly work overtime to bail out Plumptre, Alozie and Demehin particularly. Is this sustainable? Ohale and Demehin lose a fair few aerial battles with Demehin being a bag of nerves who underdeveloped defensive capabilities. Our defensive midfielders offer zero goal threat whilst crosses from Plumptre are virtually non existent. Nnadozie has looked preoccupied – there is something going on in her mind. Despite her penalty heroics against Canada, Nnadozie is there for the taking.
The team has been fabulous thus far, I give that to them. I just pray it will all not just unravel against England. If it does, a 3:0 England win is predictable. Our team has weaknesses that can be identified and exploited by a savvy coach.
Coach Sarena Weigman is Savvy; Super Falcons beware
Hmmmm….352….exactly what popped up in my mind earlier today when I was ruminating about how we can shore up the hectares of space that usually exist between the CF, the WFs and the CAM whenever we attack.
Most times we hardly get enough players in the box to create enough agitation or cause enough damage. And that is understandable, the defensive responsibilities given to the team far outweighs the ones required to attack in numbers.
But with a 352, we can possibly have as many as 3 persons attacking the box playing narrow while the wing backs (Alozie and Imuran) provide us with width going backwards and defensive cover when dropping back.
The double pivot of Ayinde and Ucheibe call always help ensure we at least have 5 persons to defend when when our wing backs attack.
But the truth is that someway, somehow, Waldrum needs to fashion out a way to enable our front 4 play closer to one another and attack the box (not the byline) in numbers, while not leaving the defense thin for England to exploit.
And whenever we chose to sit back with 7 women behind the ball, 2 quick forwards up front can help with pressing against the England backline against advancing to deep into our half. The lone striker thing is not really helping us with our own advance.
…wing backs (Alozie and Imuran) provide us with width going forwards rather….
And Ebi should kindly maintain her last minute cover role for now, at least she comes in when she’s still fresh and can still match up with the tempering pace of opposition forwards.
Tosin, Osinachi and Plumptre in that configuration can continue as a 3-woman CB pairing for cohesion and game-after-game understanding which they’ve built so far’s sake.
I watched how the England coach with good tactical analysis of each of the teams in our group dismissed the Falcons chances of making it to the next round. I was wowed with her intelligent interpretations of the strengths and weaknesses of Group B teams on supersport. However, we defied her odds. My head is thinking that she will still deploy the 3-5-2 formation today against us to tire our overworked midfield. I am still optimistic that the drive to earn more money from FIFA will allow the Falcons thrive in chaos. Indeed, our team seems to have plenty weaknesses but “money pull” will be very inspirational. Underdogs we are, but it is still difficult to disrupt “unorganized” teams in women football.
You and this your love for 532 formation is like plantain and beans lol.
If it is not broken you don’t fix it. You cannot change formation in the middle of tournament when the players have not practice with it at least in friendly matches.
Our main goal assist supplier Ajibade would most likely be dropped to the bench with 532 formation.
Instead of changing formation, the coach should work on the strikers to be more clinical in front of goal. The assist given to Asisat by kanu should be converted any time any day.
No matter the number of strikers on parade if they are not converting their chances or if the strikers are not being fed sufficiently by the midfielders, everything will be tantamount to nothing.
Your assessment of our attack is not harsh in my opinion, Deo. You said what needs to be said.
We don’t create enough chances, and when we do, taking them is another wahala. We also do not shoot at goal frequently enough in my opinion. You see some shots coming in from time to time. Onumonu’s effort against Canada for instance. But by and large, our ladies are decidedly shot shy.
England is a formidable opponent. They are hard to beat, as evidenced by their long unbeaten run. But they are definitely beatable. The only team in the competition right now that seems invincible is Japan. But even that can change drastically. Football is a funny old game.
One thing that might work in our favour is the likelihood that the English will underrate us. Oh, its just Nigeria. We got this. I hope they come into the pitch with that mindset!
My guy at least you finally admit that Oshoala is goal shy but I disagree with you concerning Onumonu – as far as I’m concerned, she can be better yes, but she is good enough and I would start her along with another striker in a 3-5-2 without any hesitation
With Toni Payne – you should know better so I’m not sure why you keep going on about her – you who writes about football and formations etc should know that it is not her job or her role to show any killer instinct in terms of goal scoring – that’s not her job, she is top notch so far in her basic job description which is progressing the ball – football is a “team sport” that is why we have defenders, mid fielders and forwards
For me, and this may sound simplistic but guess what? that is exactly what football is, it’s not rocket science, keep it simple and do the basics and you’re not far wrong- our main and biggest problem is Oshoala – if you don’t want to agree with me, have you been listening to the commentaries in our games so far?- It’s not just me and I have nothing against her personally, I love her as much if not more than the next man but I love Nigeria more
God bless Nigeria!
Field Marshall,
So, in all your days of watching football you have never come across attacking midfielders like Stephen Gerard, Wilson Oruma, Frank Lampard and even Alex Iwobi who carry reasonable goal threats?
For your information, Oshoala’s shortcomings have always been known to me. Rather, I chose to focus on her overall contributions to containing the tough opponents we faced. For me, in getting us to this second round, Oshoala definitely pulled her weight in helping the team retrieve possession and maintain the structural integrity of the formation particularly when we don’t have possession.
Even as a striker, it is her finishing that has been subpar. When it comes to finding and running into space and keeping opposition defenders on their toes, Oshoala has been successful.
Simply put, Oshoala has not entirely been a waste of space. But she sadly lacks cutting edge.
Onumonu too has been subpar as a winger. As a centre forward against Australia, she was lost at sea. She didn’t even manage to carve out the sort of openings that Oshoala later carved out in the same match.
I completely disagree – we obviously are seeing different things and that is fine, but Oshoala’s all round game has been non existent to me, even her touch – basically she has no touch
You cite the likes of Stevie Gerrard and, Oruma Lmapard etc – I wont even include Iwobi – these arguments are weak but I understand they are your own views but I cannot disagree more!
Do you think any coach worth their salt sets up their team thinking “okay I have a mid fielder who scores goals so I wont bother with another goal threat”? That would be madness – and only in modern times has one man and one man alone ever done that – Guardiola and even he is still tinkering, in fact even he has gone all out and got two out and out goalscorers now, even with silva and foden and grealish and de bruyne, so again, that argument is very weak dude
And as far as Onumomu goes – I disagree even more! I really cannot get my head around where you are coming from – Are you serious?? You think Oshoala has been more effective than Onumonu in the games we have seen so far?
I hope there is no sentimentality in what you are saying o, because I already gave you more credit than that and I will be totally disappointed if this is because one is Yoruba and the other not – I know what some of our Igbo guys are like and I have said my piece on that with my tin hat on – they will still see this and come all guns blazing lol
Again guy, let’s just agree to disagree
General Bob,
I only have one question for you? Who has found the back of the net thus far in this tournament between Onumonu and Oshoala?
You are quick to call @Deo argument weak yet you say you respect his opinion.lol. BTW, I see more weakness in your own argument. Who says an attacking midfielder shouldn’t have killer instincts just because there are strikers on the pitch? That’s laughable. And you rubbished your submission by throwing the tribal card at Deo with your insinuations just because he made a valid point which you failed to see.
General Bob,
Before you call someone’s argument weak, perhaps you want to demonstrate your unequivocal understanding of their position.
Oga, my position is not weak. I just highlighted some attacking midfielders who could be seen as been able to chip in the odd goal. Do you know what ‘the odd goal’ means? From what I have seen from how Payne executes her role within Waldrum’s formation, she doesn’t seem to have any goal in her as evidenced from the 3 games played thus far. This, of course, can change.
Football is all about goals isn’t it? So it makes sense to highlight players that carry goal threats regardless of theirp natural position.
Saying that Oshoala hasn’t made any meaningful contributions to the team effort in this tournament is weak at best and crass at worst. Go and rewatch the games she played without being drenched in raw emotions and the clear head this affords you will make to see things better.
Deo
Okay – so you are prioritising chastising a specialist midfielfder for lack of goals over a specialist striker??
I unequivocally understand your position dude – how you cannot see that from my response is baffling..
It is you who needs to demonstrate an understanding of what I am trying to show you my guy
And you are trying to be too clever now – I would advice you to stay in your lane – If you do not recognise the intellect you are dealing with now then it says more about you than me – you telling me to re watch something I have already elaborated for you without being “drenched” in emotions is disrespectful and you don’t want me to reply in kind – If you cannot set out your stance without subjective nonsense then I advise you let’s leave it at that – I am showing you common intellectual respect, the least you can do is do the same – don’t try and go there because your argument has no legs to stand on!
General Bob,
Stick to the point and stop tripping your tongue.
Regarding Toni Payne, all I did was to highlight an area where I feel the formation doesn’t allow her to shine. If you read my initial contributions with your glasses on, you would notice where I said Payne was overworked. I don’t think it’s her fault per se but the formation demands so much of her that her chances of scoring goals are compromised. Also, maybe she is naturally not a goal scoring centre attacking midfielder (this remains to be seen).
You asked me to stay in my lane, are you suffering from dementia? I was in my lane when you trespassed underneath my write up. If you lack the ability to engage in constructive dialogue without resorting to disrespectful antics, perhaps you want to stick your advice up your arse and stay in your freaking lane from now henceforth.
Stop being silly men, you’re not a child!
Who told you that I wear glasses??
Stop trying so hard to look clever with all your long essays, there’s nothing wrong with long essays but they are a waste of time if your logic falls down like yours always does – don’t get it twisted because some not so bright sparks big you up on here – I already did warn you about your subjective nonsense
Yes – I think it’s best – you must have taken leave of your senses if you ever had them!
I’m the one tripping my tongue?? lool! You must be crazy
I trespassed my write up? Dementia? you’re tripping man!
You are lucky that I chose to be civil with you thus far so lets leaved it!
General Bob,
So, in your infinite wisdom you actually think you make sense to most people here with your ramblings that often shoot off the runway.
You are funny, man!
I don’t care what you write – you are just clutching at straws and even though I had long since identified your weakness – I did not want to expose you but now you have exposed yourself – Half Nigerians (if not more) have no real intellectual level – even the ones that claim that they have PHD’s and Masters these days – so it is absolutely no surprise that a lot of tools on here always jump and give your nonsense praise – I’ve known you have no spine ever since the fallout with the Ghanaians when you would try and act like you were cool with them even when they were cursing your very own people lol
Mehn leave story abeg! I did warn you for long enough but it is our fore fathers that said – Aja to ma gbebu, kin gbohun olotu re- Check yourself before you wreck yourself man
General B,
Stop foaming in the mouth a beg. If you call your ongoing exchanges with me civil, then military rule is the best thing to ever happen to Nigeria in our history.
Wait, humour me: please give me a dose of you being uncivilised so I can compare your civil and uncivil ways.
Trust me you have already seen it so again trying to be too clever is your downfall, it is disingenuous and does you absolutely no favours lol – the way Nigerians and some Africans speak leaves no room for any sort of civilised discourse and you have seen it variously when some mumu’s have attacked me in their crass vernacular and I have had to respond in kind- honestly you are a clown! smh
Oh and BTW – the difference between you and I is I could not give a monkey’s about these agbero’s on here or what they think whereas for you it is your be all and end all hehe – so whether you and your fan boys think I’m the one rambling makes not the slightest bit of difference to me – If my contributions and yours were to be examined by anyone with an eye for spotting BS you would take ALL the cake dude! lol
I say I no fight again o!
Haha:)
General B,
The primary responsibility of any centre forward is to put the ball in the back of the net, even Your Highness should know this.
Your Onumonu has played every match in all three attacking positions, yet we can only recall JUST ONE ATTEMPT AT GOAL.
Oshoala has 1 goal and put herself in position to score at least 4 more..
Take it or leave it bro, Oshoala has been more menacing in this tournament than Onumonu. And she has 1 goal to her name to show for her efforts.
Leave this matter Your Excellency.
“Half Nigerians (if not more) have no real intellectual level” General Bob
Hahahaha
Nothing wey person no o see for internet..
Hahahaha
So your Excellency Field Marshall belongs to the body of Nigerian that “have real intellectual level” Oluwa Gba me o!!!!
Hahahaha
Oh my goodness.
I no fight again. You don win this wan hands down. At least you are a surgeon who noticed I didn’t have spine. Na walking stick I dey take waka!
General abi na Colonel, I give up o. Na spine I no get, make I kukuma keep my ribs. This General go kill person.
Hahahaha
lool! Seriously?? hahaha!
Shame on you- yeye man , local jingo talking out of both sides of your mouth- I can spot a tool like you from miles off lool!
Leave story please ..lol
Sir General,
I won’t want you to taint yourself by stopping so low to my level.
So I wave the white flag sir.
Have you watched the movie “No Retreat No Surrender.”
Well I retreat and I surrender sir. You Nigerians with high intellectual base have no business rubbing minds with us.
🙂
Please let the Falcons BREATHE. OVER TO THE COACH.
If the SuperFalcons can play the whole 90 minutes against England the way they played the second half against Ireland we will win the game. I just finished watching the replay twice. We dominated the Irish in the second half we just lack the required bite to get the goal. They could’ve scored if not for the Irish goalkeeper’s save that bounced off the bar.
In the second half they fought for every second ball and won every duel. Payne was a joy to watch she’s just missing the final killer pass. Our ladies were more energetic, I can’t praise Halimatu Ayinde enough. Goodness me I can’t imagine the amount of miles she covered and her ball shielding was flawless. The pivot with Ucheibe is the reason we have a resolute defense.
I don’t know why they went to give them fufu a day to the game. I think the euphoria of the victory against Australia overwhelmed them. They weren’t themselves in the first half, they just managed to relieve the pressure from the Irish. If they can sustain the performance in the second half for 90 minutes against England with a week to prepare we can shock England.
Payne is a terrific footballer. Under-appreciated in my opinion. I hope she will be at her best against the English. The thing I need from Ayinde and Ucheibe is that they should watch Lauren James closely. That young lady is capable of wreaking havoc, and she’s often at the center of England’s best attacking moves. If they manage to keep her quiet, our chances of winning increase significantly.
All hands on deck! All the players have done so well. They should keep it up!
I think we came with the mindset a draw will be enough.In the first period we played to contain the Irish and absorb the pressure,then in the second period we came out of our shells to try nick the game unfortunately,our efforts were futile the scoreline was a fair reflection of two good teams playing completely different styles,over the 90-odd minutes the draw is probably fair for both teams because i’m not too sure either team deserved to win it,the Irish went home with their heads held high,in all fairness it was deserving for all their troubles in the tournament.
Meanwhile,Ayinde is playing the game of her life in Australia.She covers way many grounds she’s fit quick and apply her role with efficiency.I didn’t know she’s this good,i thought she was excellent in the games i seen her.But i still can’t understand why Ngozi Okobi was dropped i think she’s on the same level as Ayinde and Ucheibe her ommission could be automatically unfair,her presence should have given the gaffer more options.Echegene’s only involvement wasn’t eye-catching,she’s not grounded as Ngozi Okobi who is a midfield dynamo such a shame and she’s at the point in her career where her experience will come handy in a big tournament such as the world cup.She’ a big miss!
Yes @Greenturf. I think the coach made a mistake by dropping Okobi. Her experience would’ve come in handy at this crucial stage. She has the tendency of coming up with the odd goal anytime she gets the opportunity. I really can’t wrap my head around Okobi’s absence. Payne seems to be only creative outlet we have in the entire squad. Echegini didn’t inspire confidence when she came on and she look lost in the midfield. Okobi would’ve really provided some experience options from the bench. I’m really gutted at that decision to leave Okobi but of this WorldCup. Not for an Echegini who seems overwhelmed by the occasion. Deborah is the same as Ainde, but Halimatu is experienced and we can see the difference. Of all the good things Waldrum have done in this tournament so far leaving out Ngozi Okobi was a huge mistake. She could’ve complimented Payne’s efforts in the midfield.
My sentiments too @Greenturf and @AYPhilly, My sentiments. Ngozi Okibu had a real presence in that middle very much like every time Payne or Alozie have the ball. Maybe Waldrum felt age (like Ebi) and marriage have slowed her down or would distract her, but reviewing videos from the last AWCON and seeing how much oomph she provided when the team was sweeping forward, I think we’ve got a minus 1 in terms of experience in Echiegini.
Notably, England played an African opposition (Cameroun) too at the last Women’s WC in France and came away with a dubious, ref-enabled 3-0 win – a contentious second goal for them and another disallowed goal for Cameroun (the Camerounians became emotional and held up play for 15 minutes).
It means the English lasses will be kind of be on familiar grounds come next Monday. Nigeria, of course, will provide a stiffer opposition. I think if the Engkish could only beat the same Denmark I watched yesterday 1 – 0, then it’s game on in R16. If the girls are well rested (they looked jaded in parts in the first half, esp the goalkeeper against the Irish) and we come with our A game and with a perfect tactical formation to neutralize the threat of the opposition, it’s going to be a helluva of a cracker.
SF will defeat England on Monday. If you like believe or not. We are not going home on Monday bcos that day is a decision day. Mark my words. Argue if you like. I have said it.
I hope so @Godstime,let’s hope it’s God’s time for the super falcons victory come monday against a difficult team and tournament favourites,the lioness of England.
i’m not in doubt of your optimism not at all,Nigeria teams are capable of beating any opposition on their day,so it won’t be a surprise for me and for most people should that happens.
We have our backs to the wall,but we shouldn’t be downhearted or dejected its not a situation that’s too great to be overcome,it’s not insuperable,we have found ourselves numerous times in this situation,5 out of 10 we came out unscathed let’s hope monday is another God’s time for us if not life goes on.
Our chances are bright. It seems this monday will end up as monday to remember. It may end in penalty shoot out
Let’s hope that Nigeria can inflict some PAYNE on England come Monday. And who knows, Gift Monday might end up getting the winning goal for us on Monday!
Lol, I like the word play.. O’boy we must laugh na abi we no fit dey cry..
Linkin
You are an idiot
I will say no more – you obviously are thick and have no sense because you say I threw the tribal card at him – well that just proves my point – you are intellectually challenged – I asked and hoped it was not – I never leveled the accusation lool
What a MUGU!
You’ve got no business sticking your illiterate nose where it does not belong – shameful plodder lol!
You are the bigger idiot! Since you can’t tame your wild tongue. Cry baby! So you really think you make sense a lot of times you comment here. You try so hard to sound intelligent but all I see is stupidity.
Dude, you are so full of yourself. Such sheer pride and arrogance.
Keep basking yourself in self glory
Self-delusional baboon. Lmao. Lest I forget, Deo has more brains than you will ever have.
Tee hehehe says the absolute plodding plonker! lool!
You need a strait jacket smh!
Were!
A fool who thinks himself to be wise…
Field Marshall. General! LOL
I thought I was wrong but you are really as daft as a brush
Ode!
The threat to Super Falcons is not from England but from NFF that eats their money. Thank God FIFA has intervened!