A former coach of the Super Falcons, Godwin Izilein, has described the goalkeeping problem of the Super Eagles as worrisome but surmountable.

Mr Izilein, who spoke in an interview with journalists in Calabar, Cross River State, on Tuesday, said that the team handlers must continue building confidence in the goalkeepers.

He described goalkeeping as a learning process that every goalkeeper and team handler should embrace.

“We cannot leave a vacuum there; we must put somebody there. The best way to approach it is to create confidence in them, let them know they are the best, that we believe in them, and that they are humans as such and can make mistakes.

“It is never too late to learn the basics of goalkeeping. It is a continuous learning process,” he stated.

Mr Izilein also said that it was not out of place for the coaches of the Super Eagles to also try out other hands in that department of the team.

The former coach, who once coached the U17 national team, urged the senior national team handlers to look inwards by scouting for goalkeepers in the local league.

He advised that now that the Eagles’ goalkeeping problem had been exposed, the players must always ensure they protect whoever is at the goalpost.

Commending the invitation of Amas Obasogie to the team, he said that there were other Obasogies in the national league to be tried out.

“Amas Obasogie remains the best in the local league today. He was my goalkeeper in the youth development programme I handled with the late Amodu Shuaibu back then. You don’t depend on what you have alone; once you notice that the reflexes of the ones you have are waning, you look elsewhere,” he said.

In the team’s World Cup qualifier against Lesotho, the former Super Falcons coach said that the players must be intelligent and cohesive in their play.

“Individual play should be jettisoned for teamwork; play intelligently and run into space when they are in possession; mark well when you lose possession; and play counterattack when you regain possession,” he stated.

The Super Eagles will play their first World Cup qualifier on Thursday against Lesotho at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

(NAN)