Kings players ready to embrace Cabrera's system

Experienced defender Topu Barman believes that Bashundhara Kings players possess the merit, standard, and maturity required to adapt to Javier Cabrera's playing system in the upcoming five training sessions ahead of their FIFA friendlies against Nepal.

The Bangladesh team are scheduled to play two international friendlies against Nepal on September 6 and 9 as part of their preparation for the crucial Asian Cup Qualifiers against Hong Kong in October.

Ten players from Bashundhara Kings joined the national camp on Sunday evening after completing their club's pre-season training. The Kings management had earlier declined to release the players early, citing injury concerns and the need for pre-season preparations. As a result, Cabrera was left with only 13 senior players over the past 15 days of training.

The 40-year-old Spaniard will finally have his full squad available in Monjday's session -- the first time the entire team will train together before flying to Kathmandu on September 3.

"Everyone already has a clear idea of the system Cabrera wants to play," Topu told The Daily Star before checking into the team hotel. "There's no issue with adapting to it because we're all mature players and capable enough to grasp the system in the next five training sessions."

Topu dismissed concerns about the Kings players missing the earlier part of the camp.

"Our standard and ability will allow us to pick things up quickly. I believe the team's combination will also take shape within these five sessions," said Topu, who captained Bangladesh in June's Asian Cup Qualifiers match against Singapore.

Despite the absence of key players -- both local (Sheikh Morsalin, Shakil Ahad Topu, Mehedi Hasan Sraban) and overseas-based (Hamza Choudhury, Shamit Shome, Fahamedul Islam -- Topu remains optimistic.

"Nepal will be tough, especially considering the high-altitude conditions and their home advantage. But we are not overly concerned. We aim to win both matches with the quality we have," he added.

Topu also expressed confidence in the fitness levels of both groups of players, despite training separately for the past two weeks.

"These 15 days were crucial for Bashundhara Kings' pre-season. We trained as a unit, which helped build fitness, bonding, and team chemistry. Pre-season is vital for any club globally, and it was no different for us," said the 30-year-old defender.

"We had a 27-day training programme, including 12 days ahead of our AFC Challenge League match. We remained unbeaten in four games. Similarly, the national team also played three or four matches. So I believe both groups are in good rhythm, even if the training methods were different."

Meanwhile, Cabrera conducted training on Saturday with only 13 players after releasing eight members of the under-19 team who had been temporarily included in the camp.