From the beginning of this year, the Bangladesh national football team has been involved with various national and international sporting events. Tournaments like Bangabandhu Gold Cup, AFC U-23 Championship, Manyavar Bangladesh Football Premier League and quite recently FIFA friendlies goes to show that the national team is stepping up their game. Even when the going gets tough, they remain enthusiastic and ready for more. Rubab Nayeem Khan learns all about Bangladesh’s performances from the team’s coach, Lodewijk De Kruif
What areas should the players concentrate on the most to improve their skills in the long run?
They need to concentrate on improving their tactical, mental and physical areas. But after being with them for more than two years, I can vouch that they have already improved lot.
The year had started out with immense priority on football tournaments, both home and abroad. To what extent did these events shape the football front in Bangladesh?
The last edition of Bangabandhu Gold Cup gave a big boost to our team. What’s important right now is maintaining their current level of performance in order to improve more. The strategy with which we played should help us get better.
Tell us your experiences of coaching the Bangladesh National Team this year.
As I’ve mentioned before, our team’s participation in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup lifted our spirits. I had a feeling that we were on the right track; unfortunately the results were’nt in our favor and that’s what counts the most in football. Countries like Middle East or even Thailand, Malaysia, India need to unite in order to shape up the football front. The results will only get better if we can connect with countries the same level as ours in terms of performance. Hence we are all working diligently to give football a bigger platform in Bangladesh!
What are your thoughts about the Bangladesh team participating in the FIFA friendlies?
I was happy; it was important for the players to have experienced this pressure and they should gain more skills through such competitions.
What’s your strategy for developing the team?
We try to reach a specific target prior to the matches. Up until now we’ve fulfilled all our goals.