Waldrum believes Oshoala has what it takes to wreck any opposition that sleeps off on her.
Despite expressing reservations about Nigeria’s supposed poor preparations ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Super Falcons Head Coach Randy Waldrum is happy he has a talented squad capable of rising to the occasion in Australia and New Zealand.
Waldrum, during a podcast interview with PSN’s John Krysinsky, spoke highly of some of his players, including Asisat Oshoala.
The Super Falcons coach raved about Oshoala’s immense talent. The American manager puts the Barcelona star among the top 50 women players in the world.
Waldrum said: “She’s (Oshoala) among the top 50. She’s won the African football female player of the year three or four times.
“When you think of African football, people think of Azeezat, and she’s a big blend of a couple of great traits; she’s just a stud athlete, a big player, physically strong, fast, hyper-athletic, and she’s got a great soccer IQ. She understands the game tactically, how to move, get into space, play off the shoulders of defenders, and all the great nuances that strikers have. She’s very good with that.”
Injury setbacks
Waldrum noted Oshoala’s recent injury struggles, especially with the national team, and wished she would be at her best at the World Cup.
“The biggest problem is that she got injured in the first game of the AFCON, so we didn’t have her the rest of the way. She was injured in some of the qualifying games. We didn’t have her against Ivory Coast to qualify for the Cup of Nations. She has been injured for quite a bit. She’s just coming off an injury with a club team, but she should be good to go and ready to go by World Cup time,” Waldrum stated.
As he hopes for the best possible start at the World Cup against Canada, Waldrum believes Oshoala has what it takes to wreck any opposition.
“She’s someone the opposition can’t fall asleep on; she will give them a hard bit. She’s good around the goal and pretty clinical, so she’s definitely a key player for us.” Waldrum concluded.
World Cup target
Having enjoyed another blistering season with Barcelona, culminating in winning a second Champions League title, Oshoala will also be hoping for a memorable outing at the World Cup with the Super Falcons.
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