Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has praised his players’ development and character following Nigeria’s emphatic 6-0 victory over Guinea, but insists the team’s performance still revealed areas that require improvement ahead of the next round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria produced a dominant display to overwhelm their Guinean counterparts, 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 to PREMIUM TIMES 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.
This is a team in Progress
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 the players understand how to transition smoothly from defence to attack while exploiting spaces and making better decisions in possession.
“For football artistry, like I just said, it’s all about progression. Progression in the sense that this is a new team and all they want to do is, they are young, they want to play, they want to excel, they have the talent,” Busari told Premium Times.
“We just want to guide and let them see how they can transition off 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 that have contributed to their impressive performances.
“And the beauty of this is that this is a team with a character, more vibrant and equally with high strength,” he added.
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. So it’s working well for them because it’s all about counterproductive,” he said.
“So for them, they are more physical in nature, so we need to use more of the ball.
“For that, we are making use of the space and high-tempo of the passing into their half. So those are the things that are the key ways for this kind of game. So it’s a good one for both sides.”
The Flamingos coach was also quick to dismiss any notion that Guinea were weak opponents, pointing to their impressive scoring record before facing Nigeria.
“The Guineans were not a bad side as well because 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.
“So 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.
The coach 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.
“For this, we are pleased. We still believe we have a lot of shortcoming but we also have a lot of strong points.
“All we need to do is try to draw a training scenario towards it, work more harder ahead of what we are able to do now, because there’s no balance there. For everything, once you have a strong point, you must have your deficiency.”
Busari noted that the technical crew will continue educating the players gradually, focusing on discipline, movement, tactical awareness and quick attacking transitions.
READ ALSO: Amusan storms to first Diamond League win of 2026 with record-breaking run in Rabat
“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, in terms of movement, in terms of taking advantage, in terms of using their tactics right.”
He also pointed out the unique challenges involved in coaching youth players, stressing the need to introduce information gradually to avoid overwhelming them.
“But like a new team, we get to work more on them and they are youths. And 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.
“So these are what we normally notice when we are dealing with younger age.
“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.
“So 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.
