Bangladesh head coach Lodewijk de Kruif called for drastic changes in the national team after his team crashed to a disastrous exit from the Saff Championship after losing 1-2 to Pakistan at the Armed Forces Ground yesterday.
The Dutch coach asked for players who will show full-fledged commitment. “I did not get the 100% commitment from a few players. I won’t name them, but you saw who they are. I want to continue with players who have the zeal to do something, who play for the country and have commitment,” said de Kruif.
When asked about winger Zahid Hossain, who was a complete flop in the tournament, de Kruif refused to comment.
The Dutch coach said he is very disappointed to see the team finish so low. “It’s totally frustrating to see. After long training - where I have talked with the players, showed them the tactics, showed them the videos - they failed to implement the plans. It’s very disappointing,” he said.
“In the first half they were quite ok. The passing was good and everyone was busy, but the two goals were the results of simple mistakes. We had chances but could not turn them into goals. The organization of the defence was poor. I advise all the Bangladesh defenders to watch DVD’s of the Italian league and see how the defenders work,” he added.
The coach, however, took some positives from the overall disappointment of the results. “Players like Jamal Bhuiyan, Omar Faruk Babu, Toklis Ahmed and Raihan Hasan are the future of Bangladesh football. We have some international matches at home in the coming days so I have to start my own work soon,” said de Kruif.
Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Shahzad Anwar thought it was lack of mental strength that proved to be the difference between the two sides. “I told my players to fight on till the last whistle. They did it but Bangladesh lacked the mental toughness and we forced our way through. Pakistan is unlucky not to reach the semis,” said Anwar.