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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

2015 FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP- A Historic Outing For Cameroon,A resurrection for Nigeria,what more ?

What an eventful day yesterday turned out to be, with Nigeria fighting to the end to secure a well deserved draw against Sweden and Cameroon crowing a historic debut at the FIFA Women's World Cup with a historic win as the highest scoring African country.

Africa is really proud of these countries I should say, and congratulations to both nations. As the competition progresses the opposition gets stronger and more will be asked from Nigeria and Cameroon. Well,and La Cote D'ivoire too.
Watching USA vs Australia gave me chills considering the high level of discipline,the tactical approach to the game by USA,the tenacity of Australia not forgetting the abundance of talent at the disposal of both teams. The most important lesson Africa must learn is the discipline and character of these countries.

African women's soccer has come a long way but the niggling problem of tactical discipline still lingers. There is abundance of talent in Africa no doubt ! but taking the game to the next level is the ability to understand and execute tactical play in all departments.

Nigeria has loads of  technically gifted players, but where they have always lacked is in tactical  and organizational discipline.Cameroon made history by demolishing Ecuador much to the joy of the entire continent but  there is a smoke screen here. They are not tactically sound. Gone are the days when talent and athleticism was all that mattered- you know, the kick,run, shimmy and shoot kind of soccer. The game has evolved and there is the need for one to be a student of the game in order to excel.

As I sat with rapt attention,eyes glued to my television screen,I couldn't help but feel sorry for  the Ivorian coach Clementine Toure, when the camera zoomed in on her. The look on her face spoke volumes as her team were being mauled by the relentless Germans. All  I could blurt out was "welcome to the world cup where there is no mercy". I saw a dejected coach wondering what just hit her or was it the look of being clueless ? Then the question arises, how did the coach  prepare the team and what did she  work on ?

La Cote D'ivoire may be excused for being debutantes and having to play against Germany,a heavy weight in women's soccer. However, their performance leaves a sour taste in one's mouth considering the level at which the Women's World Cup is played.I hope they can put the Germany experience behind and approach their next games a positive in a positive light working with the lessons learned from the past.

Cameroon and Nigeria may have done Africa proud with their performances thus far but the journey has not yet ended. Africa and the world expects more from them as expectations have been heightened. The onus lies on their handlers to enforce what they have drilled into their players and for the players to execute them to the maximum.
The rest of world of women's soccer  is paying attention to Cameroon and Nigeria and Africa is routing for her representatives. So keep your heads up Elephants, soar higher Falcons, roar the loudest Lionesses  for as Adidas spells it, IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.






Monday, June 8, 2015

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Nigeria vs Sweden.. Live Stream watch here



Team Overview

NIGERIA

Stengths-
Blend of veterans with young and experienced players.
Quickness on the flanks
Attacking fire power
Stamina

Weaknesses-
Defensive discipline
Shot selection
Over elaboration in ball possession
Defending set pieces


SWEDEN

Strengths-
Highly experienced players
Strong midfield
Tactically disciplined
Counter attacking
Defensive discipline (organization)

Weaknesses-
Stamina



2015 FIFA WOMENS WORLD CUP- GERMANY VS IVORY COAST FULL MATCH



The historic outing of the Ivory coast saw them being white washed by Germany in a one sided game which led may wondering how the Ivorians qualified for the world cup, but there are more lessons to be learned by the Lady Elephants.It was obvious that the Germans were too strong for the Ivorians but the Ivorian performance was way below par.

The Germans made light work of Ivory Coast with crisp and quick passes which saw the Ivorians playing in their half of the pitch 99% of the game. Ivory Coast lacked discipline in all departments of the game and made countless mistakes of which the Germans capitalized. A few long balls played up field caught the Germans on the break but  the hapless Ivorians made nothing out of it. But for the  heroics by goal keeper Dominique Thiamale, the score could have exceeded 10.

Going forward, the Ivory Coast will have to put their best foot forward in their remaining games with some consolation from  that fact that Thailand were also humbled on the day by Norway and hope that they can at least redeem their image against Thailand on June 11th.
Nigeria will have to come out swinging against Sweden today in Winnipeg to put some smiles on the faces of fans and players of African women's soccer. Look out for Oshoala,veteran Nkocha and Oparanozie to orchestrate a win for Nigeria and Africa.
Cameroon will also play their first game against  Ecuador in Vancouver .

Friday, June 5, 2015

FIFPro to observe injuries at Women’s World Cup

Two days remain before the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada kicks off. Though questions persist over the use of artificial turf as a playing surface FIFPro is looking forward to a great event which can be a next step in the ongoing development of the women's game.

FIFPro will also closely observe the physical condition of all players participating and is anxious to find out whether the upward trend of injury risk seen during the past three World Cups will continue.
The previous three tournaments show a clear trend of a steady increase in the mean number of injuries per match, rising from 1.7 injury per match in 2003 to 2.3 in 2011. This trend found in the women's game is in contrast with the trend observed in the men's game, where player injuries have decreased overall (from 2.7 in 2002 to 1.7 in 2014).

FIFPro has noted that the 2015 World Cup will be without some of the world's top players. The most notable absentee is Nadine Kessler, the reigning Best Female Player in the World. The German midfielder and team captain is recovering from a knee injury. Other prominent players who will have to watch from the sidelines due to injury include Caroline Hansen, Ingvild Stensland (both Norway), Bruna Benites and Debinha (both Brazil), Luisa Wensing (Germany), Hanna Folkesson (Sweden), Diana Matheson (Canada), Yang Li (China), Claudia van den Heiligenberg and Siri Worm (both the Netherlands).

The biggest star on the American team, Alex Morgan, is not yet fully fit, as she is trying to regain fitness after suffering a left knee contusion, though she will participate.
Is it all a mere coincidence, or is there an explanationfor the increase in injuries in women's football? These are questions which FIFPro and its Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge, would like to have answered. In his new blog, Dr. Gouttebarge views injuries in women's professional football through a scientific lens.

http://www.fifpro.org/en/news/fifpro-to-observe-injuries-at-women-s-world-cup