Former star and Mohammedan coach Alfaz Ahmed believes that goals are not coming because there is no striker in the opponent's box. "How can goals come if there is no perfect striker? The striker has to be on the field first. We should pay attention to this aspect."
Goal-scoring by locals and goal-celebrating by foreigners are a regular scene in the country's domestic football. At the end of a long league, foreigners dominate the list of top scorers. You have to search for the names of local forwards with fireworks in the list! Most of the forwards in the national team or around it do not get the desired goals. Those forwards have to come back to represent the national team.
Even on the international stage, Rakib Hossain and Sheikh Morsalin are repeatedly stuck in failure. Just like on Wednesday, they failed to find the net despite launching a quick attack against the Maldives at the Kings Arena.
Not only the Maldives match, but in the seven recognised matches played in 2024, Bangladesh's forwards had to cry for goals. It's like all the fuss about goals! There was only one goal throughout the year.
On the other hand, they conceded 14. The goal they scored was also due to good luck. Morsalin was able to score a goal due to a mistake by Bhutan goalkeeper Tshering Dendap. This is the only goal this forward, who has played five matches for the national team this year, has scored.
In the last season of the domestic league, he could only score one goal in 9 matches for Bashundhara Kings. Rakib Hossain and Faisal Ahmed Fahim played in the attack with Morsalin throughout the year. But both of them were shadows of themselves. Despite playing six matches each, they did not get to see the goal. Although Rakib scored 10 goals in 18 matches for Kings in the domestic league last time, he was fourth in the list of goal scorers.
But Faisal was disappointed. He scored only one goal in 10 matches.
But if you go back a few years, you can see that local forwards have also scored goals in line with foreigners. Former national team striker Zahid Hasan Emily scored 19 goals in a season in the Mohammedan jersey. Enamul Haque and Nabib Newaz Jiban were also regular goal scorers. It seems to Zahid that the goals are decreasing because the current forwards are taking on extra pressure. "I think Rakib and Fahim were under mental pressure, they are taking on more pressure. The way they created opportunities (in the Maldives match), anyone could have scored a goal. You don't need a specific striker to score from these positions." Zahid also urges to be precise in making decisions around the opponent's box. "The decisions taken by Rakib and Fahim in the last match were not right. We couldn't do what we had to do. We have to be more effective in making decisions."
Bangladesh has been playing without a traditional striker since last year under Cabrera. Rakib and Faisal played on the two wings, and sometimes Morsalin and sometimes Jamal Bhuiyan played in the middle. Former star and Mohammedan coach Alfaz Ahmed believes that goals are not coming because there is no striker in the opponent's box. "How can goals come if there is no perfect striker? First, the striker has to be on the field. We should pay attention to this aspect. First, we have to find the striker. Only if they are given a chance will goals come."
