Alfaz laments lack of spirit
Except for suspended Sri Lanka, all subcontinent nations grabbed the opportunity to play international friendlies in the FIFA window in March to assess their performances ahead of the upcoming SAFF Championship, slated for June 23 to July 3 in India.
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Bhutan had played a maximum of two matches apiece. 106-ranked India predictably registered wins against two strong sides in Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan while Nepal defeated Laos before being held by Bhutan. Elsewhere, Maldives beat Pakistan in the two side's only match in the FIFA window.
Meanwhile, hosts Bangladesh beat Seychelles first-up 1-0 before a dismal performance allowed the visitors to bounce back with a victory by an identical margin in Sylhet.
The defeat to Seychelles had triggered scrutiny towards the Bangladesh booters. Their latest performance remained subpar despite having prepared for nearly two weeks in Saudi Arabia, where they played two practice matches, before facing the East African nation, comprising a majority of amateur players who can only afford to focus on the sport on weekends.
Bangladesh legend Alfaz Ahmed lamented the approach of the players for having lacked "mentality" and "commitment", and the former national striker specifically criticised the tactics of head coach Javier Cabrera.
"I will blame everyone, including the coach, for the defeat in the second match but we have to accept the defeat because such upset happens in football," said Alfaz, who is also the head coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club.
Alfaz was baffled by the defensive formation from the onset and he thinks the subsequent substitutions were odd enough for Cabrera to be "held accountable" for game plan.
"What did he [Cabrera] want to execute in the second match? The coach should be asked why he sent Jamal Bhuiyan in the second half after choosing two defensive midfielders in the starting eleven.
"I think the team went on the back foot after Robiul was substituted by Jamal. Two wings also did not work effectively despite sending Mohammedan Ibrahim, who was instrumental in the couple of previous matches by scoring goals.
"Before playing the second match, the players got an idea about the opponents. They should play attacking football on the back of the first-match win but they played with two defensive midfielders, leaving Suman Reza as the lone forward in th attacking third," opined Alfaz.
He remains unwilling to bank on Cabrera's charges to go the distance at the upcoming regional extravaganza. "Seychelles may be ahead of Bangladesh in terms of physicality, but … if we put such a poor display on the back of good preparation, then we don't see any hope for this team. There was no spirit among the boys," said Alfaz, adding if Bangladesh can grow as a team in remaining weeks, there could be a possibility to go beyond the group stage of the SAFF Championship.