Thomas Dooley believes Bangladesh finally have enough attacking options to trouble Pakistan, ahead of the SAFF Championship semi-final at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday. Kick-off is at 8:30pm, with a place in the final at stake.
The head coach spoke after training on Friday. Four goals against Sri Lanka have eased a scoring problem that shadowed Bangladesh for years, after Mohammad Ibrahim’s lone strike had been enough to beat Bhutan.
Dooley used the moment to defend how his strikers are labelled, saying the debate over a traditional number nine misses the point.
“Ibrahim is not a number nine either. He’s a number 10 and a number 11. But he’s somebody who’s going in where it hurts. As a number nine you have to go in a position where you can get hurt, and a lot of people are not doing that.”
“It’s a relief when you score four goals. But if everybody starts this numbering, number nine, Ibrahim is not a number nine either, he’s a number 10 and a number 11. But he’s somebody who’s going in where it hurts. As a number nine you have to go in a position where you can get hurt, and a lot of people are not doing that.”
This is not Indonesia. It’s not a European team on the highest level. It’s the one that is in our region, so we can look eye to eye, and it comes back to who wants it most. We talked tonight in the meeting that there’s nobody out there who wants it more than we do.Thomas Dooley, Bangladesh national team head coach
Farhaan Ali Wahid drew the warmest words, and Dooley explained why a small, quick winger with good technique is such a headache for defenders who have to stay careful in their own box.
“I am happy that Farhan did a great job going in there in a position where the defender has to hold back a little bit. Doing the dribblings in the penalty box is his thing, and it helps us because the opponents have to be careful. Against a small guy who is quick with his feet, has a good technique and can shoot, it’s obviously an advantage.”
He expects that same unease to travel into the semi-final.
“We have the same situation against Pakistan, they have tall players in the middle. They also have to be careful, maybe they come a little bit late and we get a penalty.”
Depth was another reason for cheer, and Dooley pointed to the reaction from the opposition camp after Topu Barman came off the bench.
“Topu came in and he was on fire. The players from Sri Lanka, there are four or five Germans in there, came right after the game and said it’s amazing, what do you feed them? One fast player comes out and another one comes in even faster than the one before.”
The praise came with a note of caution for his squad.
“We cannot be overconfident. We have to take it seriously. Everybody up front is dangerous, and they cannot focus just on one player, they have to focus on everyone.”
He also had a request for the supporters after a night that was not quite full at the National Stadium.
Asked about the Pakistan forward, Najeeb Ullah, who has already scored three times, Dooley turned the focus to his own back line.
“We have a strong defence. Nobody scored against us. We are getting stronger and stronger by the games, and that’s why I am trusting the defence that we have. Very good one against one.”
He closed by dismissing the idea that this is a bigger step up than Bangladesh can handle.
“This is not Indonesia. It’s not a European team on the highest level. It’s the one that is in our region, so we can look eye to eye, and it comes back to who wants it most. We talked tonight in the meeting that there’s nobody out there who wants it more than we do.”
History leans towards the hosts. The sides have met 18 times since 1982, with Bangladesh winning seven, Pakistan six and five drawn, and Pakistan have never won on Bangladeshi soil. Bangladesh last won the SAFF Championship in 2003, a 23-year wait, while Pakistan chase a first final.