Dutchman Lodewijk de Kruif took charge of the national football team on Saturday, hoping to do well in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, starting on January 29.
Kruif arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Kruif met his charges before watching them practically in a one-and-a-half hour long training session in the evening, saying that he was happy with the fitness of the players.
With just three days left from the kick-off of the six-nation tournament, Kruif believes that he can help the team to achieve their goal of reaching at least the semi-finals of the Cup.
‘I am satisfied with the fitness level of the players,’ Kruif told reporters, who was reunited with his charges after being abruptly dismissed in October.
Kruif claimed that he had regular contacts with the interim coach Saiful Bari Titu and the players despite being in the Netherlands, which made him optimistic to earn some good results in the competition.
‘Now I will work only during the matches as the other parts of the preparations have already been done by Titu,’ said Kruif.
‘Though I joined the team at the eleventh hour, I was always in touch with Titu and the players.
‘Titu briefed me about the training sessions. So, I think my late joining will not make the team sufferer.’ Kruif, however, wasn’t bothered about the result of the warm-up match against Abahani.
‘I know the players very well, I know their ability. I don’t want to think too much about the defeat against Abahani. It was only a practice match where experiments were made.
‘I think we can go far, even beyond the semi-finals. But we will be taking match by match,’ he added.
National team will play their second and final warm-up match against Bangladesh Premier League champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club today at the BKSP.
Kruif will reduce the national squad to 25 from 28 after the match and the national team will leave BKSP for Sylhet on Monday.
-With New Age input
