Bangladesh Struggling with Striker Shortage, Coach Dooley Backs Bishwanath

Bangladesh have begun their SAFF Championship campaign with a win. But behind the success of the first match, a major weakness in the team has become clear — the absence of a genuine striker.

Although Mohammad Ibrahim’s lone goal secured the win, head coach Thomas Dooley is worried about the attack’s ability to score goals.

Forced by the striker crisis, he played experienced defender Bishwanath Ghosh in the ‘number nine’ position. Even though he did not score, the coach is hopeful about his performance and presence on the field.

Dooley has openly admitted the challenge of not having a natural striker in the team. In his view, to play as a forward one needs not only a natural ability to score goals but also an aggressive mentality and physical strength.

The Bangladesh coach said, “When there is no genuine number nine in the team, the job really becomes difficult. For this position, you need someone who has an inborn ability to score goals. It is important to put pressure on the opponent, have physical strength and the mentality to throw yourself into the attack. If you cannot be strong, the opposition goalkeeper will come out and clear the ball. There is no place for the timid in the forward line.”

Defender Bishwanath spent 64 minutes on the field as a forward in the first match. Although he created a couple of chances, he could not convert them. Dooley, however, sees those chances as misfortune rather than Bishwanath’s failure.

In the coach’s words, “The chances that came Bishwanath’s way were largely victims of misfortune. Sometimes he had to stretch a long way to reach the ball, and at other times his position was not right while heading. Even one of his shots bounced off the ground at just the wrong moment. But the positive side is that he was present in the right place.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka on November 11 in the last and crucial group-stage match.

To understand the opponent’s strengths before that match, Dooley was present at the ground today to watch the Bhutan versus Sri Lanka match. If Sri Lanka win this match, both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will confirm their places in the semi-finals. In that case, the November 11 clash will become the match to decide the group winners.

The equation in SAFF’s Group B has also started to become clear. Pakistan became the first team to confirm a semi-final place today, beating Maldives 3-0.

But the challenge against Sri Lanka will not be easy for Bangladesh. As many as 19 footballers in their squad are expatriates. They have experience playing in leagues in countries such as Australia, Germany and Cyprus. To do well against such a strong and physically superior opponent, Bangladesh’s attack will have to take extra responsibility.

There is also good news for the Bangladesh camp before the Sri Lanka match. Dependable midfielder Hamza Chowdhury and forward Farhan Ali Wahid will return to the squad with this match. Their return is expected to make the team’s attack sharper.

It remains to be seen whether Dooley will play Bishwanath as the ‘number nine’ again in the important match against Sri Lanka, or whether he will draw up a new attacking plan with the return of Hamza and Farhan.