Falconets head coach Moses Aduku says Nigeria are ready for a difficult round-of-16 battle against England, insisting his players have the mentality and belief to continue their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup journey.
Nigeria are the only African team left in the competition after progressing to the knockout stage, a development Aduku admitted gives his side added responsibility as they carry the continent’s hopes into Thursday’s clash.
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However, the coach stressed that the Falconets are focused on taking the tournament one game at a time as they seek to remain in the competition until the very end.
“This is football, so we are carrying the burden now and we are hoping and believing that we will remain till the end of the competition,” Aduku told the media team in camp.
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“But it’s one game at a time. We are happy for ourselves but we are not happy for the continent.
“But we move on.”
Aduku: England will be tough
Standing between Nigeria and the quarter-finals are England, with Aduku expecting a demanding encounter after studying the European side.
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The Falconets coach revealed that his team have analysed England’s matches and identified them as a quality opponent, but he believes the knockout stage requires a different mentality from his players.
“That’s going to be a tough one because we’ve watched their videos. They are a good side, but at this moment, all we told the girls is that the competition is just starting because this is a knockout phase,” he said.
“So it’s just the mentality that we need to work on and that’s what we have been doing. Tactically, the girls are responding well, and we believe, come Thursday, we’ll make Nigeria proud.”
Aduku also made it clear that he has complete faith in his players, insisting England’s history and status will have no bearing once both teams step onto the pitch.
“For me as a coach, I believe in my team always. I’m confident that we’ll go through. It doesn’t matter if they are the ones that colonise Nigeria, football does not respect that,” he said.
“We go in there, play 90 minutes and by grace come out and go to the quarter-finals. That’s our desire and that’s our plan.”
Aduku opens up on Falconets rebuilding process
Beyond Thursday’s game, Aduku believes the Falconets represent an important part of Nigeria’s football future, particularly as the players continue their development towards the senior national team.
“You know, this is the future for Nigeria, you know, because after under-20, you have the Falcons. These guys are really playing like this,” he said.
The coach also opened up about the challenges he faced while preparing the team, revealing that there was a point when he considered stepping away from the project after his club side secured qualification for continental football.
“Coupled with the so many troubles we’ve passed through, you know, as a coach, I must tell you this is my highest trying moment; at a point in time, I was thinking of backing out, because my club side qualified for the continent,” Aduku explained.
“So I was thinking of packing up because it was difficult. But I said to myself, this is my country. Let me put in all my best to see how we can make it work.”
According to Aduku, the Falconets have gone through a continuous process of building and rebuilding before reaching the knockout stage.
“And you know, we are just building, rebuilding. It’s not like stress. It has been good. We build up, something will happen, we rebuild until we got to this point,” he said.
“But right now, we are in the war front. We don’t have anything to do but to give our all. The lads are really ready to go. They are ready to work hard against England.
“So I think we are going to see the best.”
I want to win the World Cup
For Aduku, reaching the quarter-finals, and even going all the way to the final, would not represent an unexpected achievement.
The Falconets coach revealed that winning the World Cup has been his objective from the moment he was appointed and that he communicated the ambition to the players, coaches and backroom staff from the outset.
“You know, it will not surprise us. You know, right from the first day that I was appointed, I made it clear to the players coming to the camp; this is my vision,” he said.
READ ALSO: FIFA U-20 WWC: Falconets urged to improve finishing, defence against England
“I made it clear to the coaches going to work with me this is my vision, I made it clear to the backroom staff, this is my vision; I want to win the World Cup.
“So if you are not ready to win the World Cup, you are not ready to go for this mission. You know, so you can back out.”
Aduku believes victory over England would simply represent another step towards achieving that objective, rather than a reason for his team to become distracted by celebrations.
“If we should win by Thursday, which I believe we want to win, to win by Thursday, for me, it will not be a surprise,” he added.
“I think for the players, celebration ends on the field of play. Our focus becomes the next game. So we are hoping to win.”
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