Stuart Watkiss joined Bangladesh football team as an assistant coach the same time Jamie Day took the charge of head coach two and a half years ago.
For the first time, Watkiss is set to lead the technical area of the national team against Nepal Tuesday after Day tested Covid-19 positive and was ruled out of the second and last friendly match.
The English tactician is however, more worried with the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifying game against Qatar away on December 4.
“It’s another step for our preparation for the Qatar game,” said Watkiss during the pre-match zoom press conference.
He replied to a different query, “It’s a tournament [Mujib Barsho Fifa International Friendly Series 2020] that we want to win but obviously we have to be aware of the Qatar game in about three weeks.”
The national team started training together on October 24 after a long pause of nearly eight months due to the pandemic.
In contrast, Qatar’s top-flight league began in early September and their national team will play against South Korea and Costa Rica this month to prepare against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh want to win it for Jamie Day who is ruled out due to Covid-19 infection, while travelling Nepal side are...
Posted by Sports Tribune on Monday, 16 November 2020
“I don’t think this is the perfect time to be going and playing Qatar away. The game will be very different than the games in Dhaka. We are going to face them in a big pitch that can move the ball very quickly so that will be a really big challenge for the Bangladesh team,” said Watkiss.
Bangladesh hosted Qatar in the first leg of the Group B qualifiers on October 10 last year where they fought bravely, created half-a-dozen chances but lost 2-0, thanks to the muddy pitch of Bangabandhu National Stadium during the monsoon season.
The Bangladesh Football Federation is trying to arrange a couple of practice games against the premier league clubs of Qatar.
Like Day, the 54-year old Watkiss also wants “good opponents” to prepare best against the 2022 World Cup host.
“The ‘two friendly games’ before playing Qatar must be against good opposition because we have only three weeks to play the Asian champion. It is going to be the most difficult match since me and Jamie came,” said the former footballer.
Day however, said earlier that no matter how much they are prepared or whenever the game takes place it would always be difficult to face the Asian giant.
