Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif is in two minds over his 20-member final squad for the SAFF Championship after seeing the performance of some fringe players in a closed-door warm-up match on Saturday, officials said.
De Kruif was supposed to finalise his squad after the practice match played between his charges and a BFF XI, but one source close to the selection process said the match has given him enough food for thought.
He had made his final decision about who should be excluded from the squad that played in the August 31-September 11 tournament in Katmandu, but now the 43-year-old coach wants to give them another chance, said the source.
The Dutchman had another briefing on Sunday when he showed his charges how to defend, build up the game and finally attack the opponents retaining the ball possession.
Video footage of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers between Bangladesh and Nepal was presented when De Kruif pointed out the set-pieces of Nepal, Bangladesh’s opponent in the opening match.
De Kruif also showed the mistakes Bangladesh committed during the match and also showed the way out of those fumbles of the defenders.
The first 45-minute action of recent international friendly between the Netherlands and Portugal was also shown in the session with the coaching staff analysing and discussing how Bangladeshi players can adapt to the tactics.
The injury problems also made De Kruif to think again before the final selection as stopper Kesto Kumar picked up a shinbone injury. He was supposed to undergo an MRI last night to asses the extent of the injury, while captain Mamunul Islam and striker Shakhawat Hossain Rony are also carrying some niggles.
.Meanwhile, Denmark-based midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan returned on Sunday to join the camp. Jamal went to Denmark on August 4 to deal with his personal matter at the club level after playing two practice matches in Thailand.
Bangladesh will play in Group A at the SAFF Championship, along with India, Pakistan and Nepal. Afghanistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are the four teams in Group B.
-With New Age input