Challenges ahead of Challenge Cup

May 09, 2014 - 09:53:40 | Mohamed Niyaz
National team coach Drago Mamic with Ashfaq during a training session

SAFF 2013 was an opportunity we did not make best use of in many respects. Rushed through preparation and low quality friendlies in Thailand, it had the hallmark of under- preparation written all over it. The lessons were there to be learned.

AFC challenge Cup, in every respect, was not only a golden opportunity to make amends for those mistakes but also live up to the reputation as the host nation.

At home, in front of the fans, this was the moment to seize upon with open arms. Galolhu stadium had been a fortress for our players. If they could mount a title challenge it was here.

Yet it has been the same old story. Similar pre-tournament friendlies in same time period. The point is three weeks is not enough to produce a well-drilled team when you have a new coach still learning his players and his methods yet to integrate into their play.

Here are the four areas Maldives struggled in SAFF 2013 as a consequence of late preparations and will be tested in AFC challenge cup 2014 for the same reasons.

1. Defence

Defence is a pale imitation of a bygone era. The loss of Jameel, Sobah and Assad, the backbone of 2008 team to retirement has been most damaging, a dire indictment of lack of quality defenders coming through. The combination of Akram and Shafiu is still not solid. It is difficult to believe that Maldives once held Asian powerhouse South Korea to a goalless draw in a World Cup 2006 qualifier. The last two SAFF Championships expose the frailties of defence and how little has been done to stem the rot. They are not only rash and panicky in their defending but also it is the frequency with which they make elementary mistakes. Defence is not tight, they are vulnerable to set-pieces, tend to commit avoidable mistakes close to box. Worst of all, don't close down quickly enough attackers to smother them of time and space.

2. Match fitness and stamina

Match fitness and stamina has been another real worry. Oxygen is their enemy. They tire out too quickly. Leave out their small frame aside; it is how exhausted they are in the second half. They cannot keep up with good oppositions like India. Though technically better than their ferocious rivals their stamina and energy is not enough to sustain them for 90 minutes. The last two SAFF Championships expose the dipping fitness level and the attendant mistakes. Clumsy tackles, under-hit pass or over-hit pass, getting caught out in dangerous positions are increasingly a recurring problem. Players easy life style and a drop in the competitiveness of club football is claimed to be the main reason. Now add to this the mother of all shockers. National team comes to this tournament without any domestic football.

3. Strategy and Tactics

In recent times, whatever the strategy and tactics, whoever is the coach our players don't stick to a gameplan for long. The moment they get the ball players lose sight of formation and shape, resort to long balls. Our usual formula is kicking ahead a ball where Ashfaq may pop up and expect him to do the rest. We pin all our hopes on talismanic striker that he, somehow in a moment of magic, would do wonders and keep our hope alive. Not least bothered whether he is well marked or not. The result is Maldives has become predictable. Our oppositions know how we play and how to stop us. Last SAFF championship was a stark reminder of it. The point is when he is stopped Maldives is effectively stopped. Coach Mamić says he doesn't want such a mistake.

4. Late preparation and teamwork

We knew about this tournament since November 2012. Yet did not appoint a coach till it was less than two months. Did not start the long road to preparation until it was less than a month. If the reasons were that domestic league had been postponed and there would be little use of him, the fact is there were alternative ways of using his expertise to maintain players' fitness. He could have come three months ahead of the tournament, had practice sessions, assessed their performance in AFC Cup. It was absurd to let the opportunity slip our grasp, because good preparation and teamwork go hand in hand,

Among all these doom and gloom however the best piece of new is : finally coach is able to see his players in a tough friendly before the all-important tournament. It may be little too late with the tournament so close, cautious may be his approach. But then in view of how things have shaped up over the last couple of months this one is an outright blessing. It now comes down to players' sheer grit and determination, whether it is enough to mask the underlining problems and show what they are truly capable of under adversity is to be seen.

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DhiFootball on May 11
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Fully agree with all the issues noted by Niyaz in this article. Even I have been continuously commenting on lack of preparation and questioning why preparations were taking so long to start. But it only happened very recently and we are just couple of days away from knowing what the result will be. My prayers are with the team and i hope and pray that we win this tournament. We are behind the team, give it all you have and insha allah we will win it.
Corruption on May 13
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Good points. This time if we fail from this tournament FAM should take the 100% responsibility of the failure.

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