Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) will announce the final 23-member squad for upcoming Saff Football Championship on Saturday or Sunday, informed Bangladesh’s Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif after the second practice match among the national booters at the Bangabandhu National Stadium Wednesday.
The Dutch coach sent 11 key players to the gym on July 9 morning who didn’t take part in the practice match against BJMC. It was learnt that those players are confirmed names in the final squad and the remaining 12 players will be chosen from the practice match, in which Wahed Ahmed, lone goal scorer of the first warm-up match, scored twice in the second-half to earn the national team a 2-0 win over BJMC.
“We are trying to finalise it at the end of the week (Saturday or Sunday). Almost every player had the opportunity to show themselves to the coaches. Few players were left out injured, but I know them very well,” said Lodewijk.
“I’m little bit satisfied also. It’s good to see them play, the second-half was better than the first. I’m happy with the boys and with the result,” he added.
The 11 players who were absent on July 9 are Waly Faisal, Pranatash, Mamun Khan, Rony, Sohel Rana, Maksudur Rahman, Rayhan, Linkon, Mamunul, Zahid Hossain and Jamal Bhuiyan.
The man who impressed the most on July 9 was Mohammedan’s star forward Wahed who came off the bench in the second-half to catch Lodewijk’s attention. The coach did not miss the chance to praise the young striker. “Wahed is a very difficult player for every defender because he is always busy. He is a fierce striker and I’m a bit surprised. I saw him play in Super Cup. I’m surprised because nobody told me about him before,” he added.
Wahed said, “I started the second-half with pressure. It was the chance for me to prove myself and get myself into the team. I’m happy to score.”
However, while asked about what Lodewijk’s game plan would be for Saff Championship, he replied, “It’s too early as we still have two months to go. Specifically, we have to be at the top of our game. The training went well. We still have few players who are injured, that is a problem because the players (Zahid and Rony) are good. We need them later.”
The Dutch coach shed light on the importance of the Thailand tour. “I think it’s very important to go to Thailand. We have to build up to the level.”
