The future is there
Shafiqul Islam Manik
After two tournaments and five matches, national football coach Shafiqul Islam Manik believes that Bangladesh have taken two steps ahead from their stand in the last SAFF Championship, where they failed to win a match and bowed out of the group stages. "Our expectations were not to reach the final or win the Merdeka Cup or the Grand Royal Challenge Cup. We just wanted to know where we stand in Asian football. Having played Southeast Asian (SEA) teams in the two meets, we know that we are still far behind them," Manik told The Daily Star yesterday after his return from Myanmar's Grand Royal Challenge Cup. "We played better teams in both tournaments and we actually didn't have the preparation to cope with them. Still I'd say our results were not too bad," opined the former national footballer. Bangladesh suffered identical 1-0 defeats to Myanmar and Mozambique U-21s in Malaysia before holding eventual Merdeka champions Vietnam (Under-23) to a 2-2 draw in the group stage in Manik's debut as national coach last month. And this month, Bangladesh drew goalless with hosts Myanmar before going 2-0 down to Indonesia, who ousted Korea's Ulsan Hyundai in the semifinals to set a clash against Myanmar in yesterday's final. "We lost to Myanmar in Malaysia but at their home ground, we held them. May be we would be third time lucky against our neighbours," hoped Manik adding that a long journey and unfriendly fixture -- playing two matches inside 48 hours -- was Bangladesh's curse in the Challenge Cup. "I would rate our show in Merdeka better than Challenge Cup. In Malaysia, we played better against Myanmar but lost. In Myanmar, the hosts dominated but could not score. Indonesia, who had a four-day rest before their opening match, had the chance to do homework on us but we played against them without any knowledge about them. "We were the only team from Saarc in the Challenge Cup and the teams from the SEA region were much better prepared," said Manik, who thinks that the Grand Royal Challenge Cup was a more advanced tournament than the Merdeka. "Indonesia scored twice in the first half but once we could study their style, we bounced back in the second half. "Also, we suffered two setbacks in the two matches. Ariful started against Myanmar with a bandage that perhaps stopped his blood circulation and had to be withdrawn early. Similarly, Waly Faisal, who started against Indonesia despite a stomach upset from the previous night's dinner, felt so weak after half an hour that I had to replace him. Both the players were vital in our set-up. "Its possible to play well in a friendly after two-three days' preparation but very difficult to get results in a tournament unless you have two weeks to train, especially for a nation whose main league weak. "After seeing the SEA teams, it seems that everything in domestic football moves slow. It is important to have strong club structure for players to have practice facilities, good training grounds and gyms. If domestic competitions are regular, we would be able to get to a certain standard in two to three years. "The BFF needs to plan and implement them as quickly as possible. "Also, you have to invest behind the national team. Myanmar Brazilian coach and trainer each gets 10,000 dollars. The local coaches for Malaysia and Indonesia get 5,000 and 6,000 dollars per month apart from other support, he informed. "Still, Malaysia conceded four goals against Myanmar. Vietnam, just after lifting the Merdeka Cup, conceded seven goals in two matches. In five matches, we have scored only two goals -- that is a problem -- but we have also given away six goals. Our losses were expected but we haven't lost big," he said in defence of his performance as coach. "The current team is our best at the moment. We did not pick up players with emphasis on future. Still, in one year's time, four or five players will go into retirement. We need to groom their replacements for coming tournaments. "I still believe our football and the national team are heading the right way and if we keep up the good work, we would be able to say that we are going to play in the final or to win a trophy in the coming days."
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