Nigeria's Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has praised his players' development and character following a dominant 6-0 victory over Guinea, but insists the performance still revealed areas requiring improvement ahead of the next round of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup qualifiers. Nigeria produced a commanding display to overwhelm their Guinean opponents, taking a significant step towards qualification. However, despite the comprehensive scoreline, Busari believes the result was merely another milestone in the team's ongoing development process rather than a finished product.
Speaking after the match, the coach described the performance as evidence of a young team gradually embracing his tactical philosophy while continuing to grow with every game. Busari stressed that the current Flamingos squad is still relatively new and learning how to effectively execute the style of football the technical crew wants to implement. According to him, the focus remains on helping players understand how to transition smoothly from defence to attack while exploiting spaces and making better decisions in possession.
"For football artistry, it's all about progression," Busari said. "This is a new team, they are young, they want to play, they want to excel, they have the talent. We just want to guide them and let them see how they can transition from the defence line to the midfield and the attackers, and for them to be able to exploit the spaces when they have advantage." The coach also highlighted the squad's physical attributes and vibrant mentality as major strengths contributing to their impressive performances.
Tactical Approach Pays Off Against Guinea
Busari explained that his side's game plan was designed to counter Guinea's physical approach by making greater use of possession, movement, and quick passing. Rather than engaging in a direct physical battle, the Flamingos sought to dominate the ball, create space, and play at a high tempo in the opposition half. "So we'll be able to use what we have against what they have," he said. "They are more physical in nature, so we need to use more of the ball. We are making use of the space and high-tempo passing into their half. These are the key ways for this kind of game."
The coach dismissed any notion that Guinea were weak opponents, pointing to their impressive scoring record before facing Nigeria. "The Guineans were not a bad side. You look at what they played in their last game against Niger Republic. They are a high-scoring side too, they won 8-2 on aggregate. This was just a reflection of hard work and a team of progression."
Coach Identifies Areas for Improvement
Despite the dominant victory, Busari insists there is still significant work to be done. He acknowledged that every team possesses strengths and weaknesses and revealed that improving tactical discipline, movement, and attacking transitions remains a key priority. "For football, it's all about game, and for every game, there's always the beginning of another strategic game," he explained. "We are pleased. We still believe we have a lot of shortcomings, but we also have a lot of strong points. All we need to do is try to draw a training scenario towards it, work harder ahead of what we are able to do now, because there's no balance there."
Busari noted that the technical crew will continue educating the players gradually, focusing on discipline, movement, tactical awareness, and quick attacking transitions. "We are still working more on the players, try to incite them on what discipline is all about, tell them your current views about the game, and let them see how they can transition quickly into attacking force in terms of passing drill, movement, taking advantage, and using their tactics right."
Youth Coaching Challenges
He pointed out the unique challenges involved in coaching youth players, stressing the need to introduce information gradually to avoid overwhelming them. "Like a new team, we get to work more on them, and they are youths. You don't bore them with a lot of information at a point in time. Gradual information from lessons comes in. They develop when they play more games to be able to correct and incorrect. In as much as you don't allow them to respond because of their age, they tend to be down because of their mentality."
According to Busari, continued work in smaller groups, tactical units, and team-building exercises will help eliminate many of the lapses observed despite the comfortable victory. "With the younger age we have, we notice all these problems, so we still go back, work more in progress, try to work more in pieces, in pairs, in groups, and on team cohesion. All these lapses you have noticed will be enhanced, and performance will come on the team."
While the 6-0 victory showcased Nigeria's attacking quality and potential, Busari's message remains clear: the Flamingos are still a work in progress, and the journey towards becoming a complete team is far from over.
