There is nothing new to teach Hamza, 'he is a leader': Bangladesh coach Dooley

Head coach Thomas Dooley believes that Hamza Chowdhury will give his best once he returns to the Bangladesh national football team. According to him, there is no need to teach an experienced and professional player like Hamza anything new. Rather, the coach sees him as an important player for the team and also as a leader.

The national team camp has been going on at the Kings Arena since August 28 with the ASEAN Cup in mind. Dooley expressed his expectations for Hamza while addressing the media on the tenth day of the camp.

The Bangladesh coach said, "Professional players like Hamza know what their role is in this level of football. They don't need to be taught anything new. He will give his best as soon as he comes, because he is a leader."

The FIFA Asian Cup will start on September 24. Bangladesh will leave for Indonesia on September 19. A tough test awaits Hamza, Shamit and his teammates in the tournament. All three opponents in the group are ahead of Bangladesh in the FIFA rankings. Singapore is 33 places ahead of Bangladesh and Malaysia is 45 places ahead. Host Indonesia is also a strong team.

However, Dooley does not want to overstate the ranking gap. He sees the tournament as an opportunity to prove his mettle while being realistic about the strength of his opponents.

In Dooley's words, "We have to be realistic and prepare accordingly. The teams we will be playing against are ahead of us in the rankings. It is definitely a very tough competition. We have to be positive and get the best out of the players and prove that we are worthy of this regional football."

The final stage of preparation is underway at the Kings Arena. After a break of almost two months, Dooley is now focusing on getting the players match fit, reducing the risk of injuries and implementing their strategies against tough opponents.

After a long break, the coach is gradually giving the national team players a chance to adapt to the pressure of practice. According to him, this will not only improve physical preparation, but also reduce the risk of injury.

Dooley said, "At a level like the national team, you need to give the players time to prepare physically. This allows players to gradually take on the pressure of practice and reduces the risk of injury.

However, there is also a problem of injury in the camp. Of the 30 footballers in practice, Sohel Rana and Tapu Barman are suffering from minor injuries. Captain Jamal Bhuiyan is also suffering from a groin injury.

Dooley is cautious about Jamal. He said that Jamal has a small tear in his groin and if it worsens, he may have to be out of the field for a few weeks.

'Jamal has a small tear in his groin. We have to be careful about him, because if it worsens, he will be out of the field for a few weeks. We definitely want him in the team.'

Despite being behind in the rankings, Dooley does not want to lose confidence. Bangladesh wants to fight in the ASEAN Cup by proving their ability and mental toughness against strong opponents.