This Afghan side is vulnerable: Maruful
UEFA A licensed coach Maruful Haque guided Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship in 2015 with a hope of moving into the last four, but that dream was shattered after the team lost 4-0 against Afghanistan in the opening match. With the first World Cup Qualifier against the same team today, the former national team coach spoke to The Daily Star’s Anisur Rahman about the two sides and Bangladesh’s chances in the match.
The Daily Star (TDS): Bangladesh had a disappointing outing in the last edition of the World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers. How will they perform this time around?
Maruful Haque (MH): I think we should concentrate on Asian Cup Qualifiers instead of the World Cup Qualifiers because in our group there are three teams who are almost equal in strength: Qatar, Oman and India. The maximum points we may secure in eight-group matches is 10 – four points from six matches against Qatar, Oman and India and six points against Afghanistan. So we won’t be able to get through the group stages, but 10 points will be good enough to qualify for the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
TDS: How is the Bangladesh team this time according to you?
MH: Bangladesh is a very young side and there are not many experienced players in any department except for midfielders Jamal Bhuiyan and Mamunul Islam. The young players may have more energy to run on the pitch but it will be tough to register wins in the long run of qualifiers. I think Bangladesh may face problems due to their lack of experience. From the past, though, I think this team is not different in technique or tactic, but certainly different in terms of fitness and speed of the players.
TDS: You have certainly watched the Afghanistan-Qatar match. How do you rate this Afghanistan side?
MH: I think Afghanistan are a in vulnerable state which they had not been in the last eight to 10 years. They have a lot of problems. They leave a lot of space behind their defence. It seemed to me that their defence is not that quick, so if we can play behind their defence with our fast-paced forwards, it is possible to get goals. Furthermore, Afghanistan could not create any chances against Qatar. If the way the match was played, I think Bangladesh might create scoring chances even against Qatar.
TDS: How do you think Bangladesh will perform against Afghanistan?
MH: I’m hopeful that Bangladesh will play good football. If the coach can find the right strategy of playing behind their defence, it is possible to beat them with just a single strategy. Bangladesh must play with a packed defence and possessional football to utilise the open spaces behind their defence because it will be tough to get chances in counter-attack. I think Mamunul is possibly the player who can put the ball behind the defence. Robiul Hasan is another option but the coach doesn’t play him in that position.
TDS: Do you see difference between the squads that played in the 2015 SAFF Championship under your coaching and this one?
MH: During that time there were a lot of experienced players in Bangladesh squad, but they didn’t have the speed the current squad has. Besides, that squad had only one scorer but there are lot of goal-scorers in this squad. If I compare the Afghan squad, Afghanistan’s defence was very strong at that time and had an effective attacking line-up too, but this time they lack in both departments.