Super Falcons coach Thomas Dennerby is confident that his team will be difficult to score against at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France which kicks off next Thursday where they will face hosts, France, South Korea and Norway in Group A, reports Completesports.com.
But Dennerby however adds that turning the reigning African champions into a world force won’t happen overnight.
Nigeria has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World, but Dennerby believes improvement has been made on the team as their recent friendly tournaments gave him the vital opportunities improve his team’s defense.
“I’ve never been somewhere where everybody talks about football and the games. Everybody knows about football,” Dennerby began in an interview with CNN sports.
“Football is life in Nigeria and they always have the feeling they can beat everybody. They’re full of confidence and the support from the Nigerians is huge. I like that.”
Dennerby added: “The feeling is it’s going to be hard to score against us.
“The federation, the staff, the players want to improve and get closer to the best teams in the world.
“If we can get to the knockout stages this year, we will be very happy about that. Maybe we can be a nightmare for our opponents.
“If they think ‘we can beat Nigeria, they’re only ranked 39’ my opinion, and that’s from the heart, we’re definitely better than the ranking we have.”
By Johnny Edward
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COMMENTS
Good confidence talk.
Nice talk from a superior coach.
I’m always happy reading coach Dennerby comments. If you know what you are doing, you don’t have to be stressing yourself too much to build a sound and solid team.
I haven’t seen what I have been looking for in the Super Eagles team. Hopefully, I will see that in the Super Falcons team.
It is very simple to analyzed what is it do you have to build your team on as a coach?
Prayer: God comes first and these follows.
The level of the Country in football.
As a good coach, you have to dig deeper to see how much the Country that hires you loves football and reaches in continental championship and in globally. Point no1.
Coach Dennerby scored 80/100 here. Good job coach.
Further more, as a good, intelligent and smart coach, you also have to see if the Country have good players in the Country and outside the Country.
Coach Dennerby also scored 80/100 here. Kudos to you coach.
Now, to build a team will be very much easier.
What to look for: as a good coach, I what the best for my goalkeeping department. The best of the best goalkeepers have to be selected
both home and abroad.
However, the defense have to be solid too because I want a realiable and dependable back and there’s no room for shaky defense.
Onto the middle. This is where the coach have to put a lot in. As a smart coach, you have to find different players who can play in different positions with different style of play. Most especially, set pieces.
Every player have to know the role to be played in 5he team. For example, those who really good at freekick have to be talking the freekicks.
And those who are good at corner kicks have to do their job.
Almost done. How do you want your forwards to be playing depends on the style of play you wants for your team.
When all these steps are in place, what next?
How long the team have to be jelled that you can call it a solid team? Well, not quite long. A year and half should be okay to build a solid team if you really good at what you are doing as a coach. So therefore, Coach Dennerby scored 100% here too.
Build confidence in your team.
Build a never say die spirit in the team. And never looked down yourselves that your opponents are better than you. This coach scored 100%
Prayer, luck and welfare of the team also plays a lot in the team or in anything we do. This team has it all. All I can say now is I wish the Super Falcons a very good outing in France.
Go and make Nigeria proud. Go and make Africa proud. Happy weekend my people. God bless us all. God bless Nigeria!!!
Great comment Omo9ja. Very sound.
Thanks my man. God bless Nigeria!!!
Why is that Nigerians thinks they will win every competition they enter in, if you don’t prepare well you don’t progress into the second round, the players need to be committed and ready to shed blood in National Colours and not just go on the pitch to shake thier massive behind.
Wetin the men for super eagles dey shake?
What’s your drift Mr Ade,or are u an Arsenal faithful like me?
This team has worked hard and that’s quite unusual for our female side,if you know what I mean. The coach has been improving this side. I saw how tactical this team was becoming in the last African nations cup,they won recently. You could see the man was building something, you could,for example,see how Oshoala was doing a lot defensively by tactical orders.
It was not a flamboyant performance throughout that competition but you could see he was solidifying things.
The man sees reason to be confident, it’s just the way Nigeria is, if a Lius Enrique is employed for the SuperEagles for example,in a few months he would say much thesame things Mr Dennerby is saying. Look,talents “over-abound” in the land and the country has a football culture that is sooo contagious. Coaches don’t get that everywhere,I TELL U.
I like the way he gave people a chance even Nwabuoku our former captain and wow she made the final list.
Leave massive behinds alone, they are not nearly the reason why they’ve not been doing well… the reasons have been vastly addressed this time.
So,your negativity is uncalled for Ade, the man is not even boasting, just healthy confidence.
Watch out for these ladies and zoom in on Asisat (she bamboozled Barca with her brilliance, they had 2 sign her permanently).
This is a good submission, @ Ade. See, Dennerby is very serious about this team. And looking at the list, the players he selected and those he dropped, I can small fairness, esp with the inclusion of Nwabaoku and Kalu and the exclusion of Imotong and Courtney Dike. I’m not expecting them to beat all comers. But I feel strongly that they will do well and possibly pick a best third placed spot for second round. We’ve attended every WWC since 1991 but has nothing to show for it. 56 matches in all , but we’ve only won 16 or lost twenty something and drew the rest. I’m hoping things would change this time.
PapaFem,
Kindly see below Super Falcons overall record at the women’s world cup:
Total 7 out 7 tournaments
Games played: 22
Total wins: 3
Total draws: 3
Total losses: 16
Goals for: 18
Goals against: 56
As the Super Falcons set out against Norway next Saturday at the women’s world cup, he will be hoping to achieve what the Super Falcons last achieved 20 years ago: winning their first group stage match.
In fact, it was the first and only time the Super Falcons had won a their first group stage match with that famous 2:1 win against North Korea at USA ’99. That was the only tournament that the Super Falcons progressed to the knockout stages. So, a win against Norway next Saturday will be a good omen.
This is a world cup with a diefference for the Super Falcons because it will be the first time we will be going with a foreign coach and the level of preparation by the NFF has been highly commendable.
The progress the team has made under Dennerby has also been equally applaudable.
From conceding 8 goals against France in a friendly last year, they only lost by 1 goal difference (2:1 loss) to powerhouse Canada in a recent high profile friendly.
In fact, when you exclude Wafu tournaments (or games against clubs), the Super Falcons have scored no less than 30 goals under Dennerby conceding 23 (in this year’s Wafu, they scored 22 goals and conceded 1 in open play while they scored 10 goals and conceded 3 in the 2018 wafu; total for Wafu = 32 goals scored, 4 conceded).
Whilst they are scoring more than they are conceding, my worry remains that they let in too many goals in the second half of matches.
I wrote about several times before and in their last high profile friendly, they conceded 2 quick second half goals to Canada bringing in total 18 goals that they have conceded in second halves compared to 5 in the first halves under Rohr (excluding wafu games and games involving club-sides).
In all, this team has really improved under Dennerby as they appear to be in the cusp of something great in France.
Re-written:
As the Nigeria set out against Norway next Saturday at the women’s world cup, Dennerby will be hoping to achieve what the Super Falcons last achieved 20 years ago: winning their first group stage match.
In fact, it was the first and only time the Super Falcons had won a first group stage match with that famous 2:1 win against North Korea at USA ’99. That was the only tournament that the Super Falcons progressed to the knockout stages. So, a win against Norway next Saturday will be a good omen.
This is a world cup with a difference for the Super Falcons because it will be the first time we will be going with a foreign coach and the level of preparation by the NFF has been highly commendable.
The progress the team has made under Dennerby has also been equally applaudable.
From conceding 8 goals against France in a friendly last year, they only lost by 1 goal difference (2:1 loss) to powerhouse Canada in a recent high profile friendly.
In fact, when you exclude Wafu tournaments (or games against clubs), the Super Falcons have scored no less than 30 goals under Dennerby conceding 23 (in this year’s Wafu, they scored 22 goals and conceded 1 in open play while they scored 10 goals and conceded 3 in the 2018 wafu; total for Wafu = 32 goals scored, 4 conceded).
Whilst they are scoring more than they are conceding, my worry remains that they let in too many goals in the second half of matches.
I wrote about this several times before and in their last high profile friendly, they conceded 2 quick second half goals against Canada bringing in total 18 goals that they have conceded in second halves compared to 5 in the first halves under Rohr (excluding wafu games and games involving club-sides).
In all, this team has really improved under Dennerby as they appear to be in the cusp of something great in France.
Another correction: Not under Rohr, under Dennerby!!!! Sorry guys.
The Super Falcons will do well.