National head coach Lodewijk de Kruif felt his charges lacked the required stamina in the last 20 minutes of the one hour practice match played among the Bangladesh preliminary squad members at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. The Dutch coach split his players into two teams - Green and Blue. The Green’s took the field in 4-3-3 formation with Mamun Khan, Topu Barman, Uttam Kumar Banik, Keshto Kumar, Yamin Munna, Pranotosh, Arup Baidya, Manik, Mithun, Toklis and Yusuf Sifat in the starting XI. On the other hand, Biplob, Mishu, Arif, Nasir, Rayhan, Sohel Rana, Jamal Bhuiyan, Nahid, Mamunul, Mobarak and Emily featured for the Blue’s in 4-2-3-1 formation. Forward Shakhawat Rony and winger Jahid Hossain missed the proceedings due to their groin and calf muscle injuries respectively. Capitalising on a through pass from Emily, Wahed Ahmed netted the only goal of the evening to help the Blue team earn a 1-0 victory over Green. Lodewijk de Kruif said there was no instruction to the players apart from maintaining the respective system. “It was a good opportunity for me as I watched all the players. We are moving ahead to form the 23-member squad. What I felt that every player is working hard,” he said. The man who has expressed anxiety over the fitness of the players for a long time echoed the same tune again. “I felt the players lacked the fitness in the last 20 minutes. It is the area we have to work hard. We have about two months before the Saff Championship and I hope to attain the required fitness before that,” added the Dutchman. Though the head coach refused to comment upon any individual player, he answered the query regarding the Danish expatriate Jamal Bhuiyan. “I am happy with the performance of Jamal and that’s all I can say,” said Kruif. De Kruif said the full squad will go through a gym session today and there will be another practice match against a club team soon. Manager Iqbal Hossian added that Team BJMC will take the field against the national team on Wednesday.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
