Cabrera pledges better results than last year

Bangladesh national football team's head coach Javier Cabrera said the team should take responsibility and start delivering better results than last year, especially since they will be facing comparatively easier opponents this time around and due to the addition of England-based Hamza Choudhury.

Speaking to reporters before the team's first training session of the year at the Bashundhara Sports Complex on Saturday, the Spaniard said he's starting the year – having received a contract extension one year and four months recently – with a lot of hope.

"(We start the year) With a lot of hope because we knew the last year was going to be tough. The World Cup Qualifiers Rd 2 was tough really but I'm really positive about their performances even though we are very aware that we should have probably achieved better results, especially the game we lost in Bhutan and the first one here against Maldives," the Spaniard said, referencing to four defeats in four World Cup Qualifiers matches as well as a defeat each against Bhutan and Maldives in the four FIFA friendly matches during the year.

Although Cabrera felt the results did not always match the performances on the pitch, he believes there should be no excuse for poor results in the six Asian Cup Qualifiers matches against play India, Singapore and Hong Kong – starting with an away game against India on March 25.

"Now is the moment that we need to make that step forward. We are going to have a better team because we are bringing in a top player (Hamza Choudhury), so now we have to take the responsibility and achieve better results than last year," the 40-year-old said.  

Cabrera instructs his charges before the training session. Photo: BFF

The Spaniard was looking forward to the addition of England-based defensive midfielder Hamza and Italy-based forward Fahamdul Islam with excitement.

"They will join as soon as they can," Cabrera said. "Hamza has a match on the 16th, so he will join in that week which is good enough...The same with Fahamedul; his last game is on the 8th, so he will be joining on the 10th in Jeddah. So it's good that he will be able to get eight days of training and hopefully will get to play one or two practice matches."

Cabrera also felt the match against India in Shillong, for which the team will have four days of training in Dhaka before a two-week camp in Saudi Arabia, will be the most special one of his Bangladesh tenure.

"A very special match, probably the most exciting one since I've been here for three years already. The players are really motivated about the challenge, and I think we are going to have the right preparations with enough time to get the best of the camp and have a big chance to achieve something important in India."