Opinion : Why do Super Falcons rely so much on Ebi despite her age and lack of pace?

Despite a slow start with a 2-1 loss to South Africa, Nigeria's Super Falcons qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2022 CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday evening at the Moulay Hassan FUS Stadium in Rabat, Morocco after a comprehensive 4-0 win over Burundi.

The win means that Nigeria will face the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon in the quarterfinals of the tournament after the central Africans finished in second place in Group B.

One of the underrated cornerstones for the turnaround has been EV Avant Guingamp defender Onome Ebi. She is the oldest member of the squad at 39 years old but has been a mainstay in the WAFCON tournament.

She has started all games and was only substituted against Burundi after 76 minutes.

This is likely due to the fact that Nigeria were cruising 4-0 and Waldrum wanted her rested ahead of the knockout stages.

This shows how much the team relies on her. So, despite her advancing age and loss of considerable pace, why do the Super Falcons rely so much on Ebi?

Playing at centre-back is not only about pace, tackling and chasing attackers. Invariables like aura, presence, authority, positioning and anticipation are what sets apart a good defender from an elite one.

Take for example the likes of John Terry and Virgil Van Dijk, even when both players are out of form and not really in the game, it is difficult to point out because they do many other things that cover up the obvious basics of pace, tackling and physicality with attackers.

With Onome at the back, there is a sense of authority and presence. She may have lost a lot of her pace but her sense of positioning is still top-notch.

She is a great reader of the ball which allows her to stop danger before it develops. It also enables her to win so many headers.

It is particularly hard to get these things in a player because they can not be effectively taught or coached, they come naturally.

Due to Onome's age, the Super Falcons would no doubt have been looking for someone to replace her but their failure to get someone so far is a testament to how difficult it is to get a player of such capabilities.

This will no doubt be one of Waldrum's headaches ahead of the World Cup as Onome has hinted at her retirement after the upcoming tournament.

Sofoluwe Mayowa

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