TheCable

The Super Falcons need to beat USA, by any margin, to progress to the next round of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

On paper, it sounds like mission impossible considering the fact that:

• USA are ranked 2nd in the FIFA ranking while
• Nigeria are 33 in the world
• USA have won the World Cup twice while
• Nigeria have gone beyond the group stage once
• USA, who need a win or a draw in Tuesday’s game, have beaten Nigeria in the three times they have met in the competition scoring 13 goals and conceding one while
• Nigeria, who need a win, a win, and nothing but a win, have lost to USA in the three times they have met in the competition scoring one goal and conceding 13
• USA have Jill Ellis as coach while
• Nigeria have Edwin Okon

But do not despair.

With four days to the titanic win-or-bust match, here are four motivational and inspirational books you can start reading now till the kick-off in Vancouver on Tuesday to help you handle any of the eight points above. Books that should give you a Can-do spirit ahead of the game.

Moreover, it’s never a bad idea to be on cloud-cuckoo-land once in a while!

DAVID AND GOLIATH

We all know that underdogs can win–and that’s what the David versus Goliath legend tells us.

Like Olympique Marseille defeating AC Milan in 1993 UEFA Champions League final Nigeria can do same to USA against all odds.

In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell, with his unparalleled storytelling ability, uncovers the hidden rules that shape the balance between the weak and the mighty, the powerful and the dispossessed, the Team Nigeria and the Team USA!

His blog on the book says, “Gladwell examines the battlefields of Northern Ireland and Vietnam, takes us into the minds of cancer researchers and civil rights leaders, and digs into the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful classrooms–all in an attempt to demonstrate how fundamentally we misunderstand the true meaning of advantages and disadvantages.”

So, advantage USA? Better read the book to know that impossible is nothing!

AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN

In this award-winning book from the best-selling author of Inner Strength, Unlimited Power, and MONEY Master the Game, Anthony Robbins, the leader in the science of peak performance, shows you “his most effective strategies and techniques for mastering your emotions, your body, your relationships, your finances, and your life.”

Robbins is an acknowledged expert in the psychology of change – not that I am saying a political party in Nigeria consulted his books early this year – and this particular title “provides a step-by-step program teaching the fundamental lessons of self-mastery that will enable you to discover your true purpose, take control of your life, and harness the forces that shape your destiny” – like an “inconsequential” football match – a women’s match – between Nigeria and USA!

TALENT IS NEVER ENOUGH

The professional sports world is filled with athletes who have extraordinary talent and yet end up with mediocre careers – you can Inbox me if you need names.

Of course, every field has people who have failed to achieve their individual talent potential – you can Inbox me as well for names in the country’s political and entertainment fields.

So why is talent never enough?

The simple answer is that talent alone is not remarkable. In fact, it is commonplace.

“What is special is “talent plus,” the term leadership author John C. Maxwell uses to describe the achievement level of people who maximise their talents,” a review on the book, read.

“Maxwell says you must add effort to talent to make it matter. He describes 13 sterling attributes people should strive to build within themselves to maximise their talents.

“In any business or activity, Maxwell contends, talent “is only a starting point.” How you develop your talent is what counts, and this book will show you how.”

This book is good to “nullify” points seven and eight! And that brings us to the next, and last book recommended …

THE POWER OF A PRAYING WIFE

The Power Of A Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian “has 30 short chapters – a perfect challenge to read one a day for a month – each one a different topic encouraging wives to pray for their husbands.”

But with the match just days away, you don’t have the luxury of 30 days.

The writing style is very comprehensible, making it very easy to read and reread within hours.

You may wonder why this book on prayer and why a praying wife and not husband since football is mainly a man’s game?

Well, it’s the FIFA Women’s World Cup. But that’s not the only reason why this book makes the top-four.

We want to assume that you love your spouse and your spouse loves football and you want to still see your partner after the USA v Nigeria game. And since you love your husband and you still want to see him after USA v Nigeria game, then you will need this book in case Tuesday’s match goes according to expert soccer analyses and prediction based on, erm, talent and pedigree which says – USA 3-0 Nigeria!

But do not despair because…

…still beat Team USA!