Women’s U17 football: Busari reveals tactics behind champion Flamingos
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Leadership
Coach Hakeem Busari credits the Flamingos’ world title to tactical discipline, the management of the players and their ability to bounce back after the opening defeat to Poland. According to Leadership Sports, he also detailed the analysis prepared before the semi-final against Brazil.
Nigerian coach Hakeem Busari says he believed from the outset that the Flamingos would go far in the tournament, relying on their preparations and their performances in the qualifiers, where Nigeria had beaten Guinea 11-1 on aggregate. He spoke on Tuesday to Leadership Sports at the team’s hotel in Abuja.
After the 2-1 defeat to Poland in the first match, the technical staff chose to encourage the young players rather than criticise them, according to Busari: “We sat down with the players and talked.” For the semi-final against Brazil, the team studied the opposing formations: Brazil alternated between a 3-5-2, while Nigeria deployed a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. Busari cites discipline and the players’ ability to follow instructions as decisive factors: “The girls knew when to attack and when to defend.”
The coach says he is “delighted and happy” with the result. This interview is part of the champions’ return to Abuja, whose the Flamingos’ arrival in Abuja was covered.
