The sun is still peeking in the sky. A few people is walking adjacent to the Bashundhara Kings Sports Complex area. In the meantime, someone's heavy voice was clearly heard from outside the training ground of the complex.
James Peter Butler, the English coach of the Bangladesh women's national football team, appeared with his team early in the early morning.
The girls are practicing with the ball, while Peter Butler gives various instructions. Even the slightest mistake of Sabina Khatun, Sanjida Akhtar, Masura Parveen, Krishna Rani Sarkar does not escape Butler's eyes.
The national team is training ahead of the SAFF Championship in Nepal. For a month, at 5:30 in the morning, the women's team has been going to Bashundhara Sports Complex by bus from Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Bhavan, Motijheel.
The booters returned from Nepal two years ago after winning a clean sweep for the first time. This morning's practice is with confidence to retain that title.
SAFF Championship will start from October 17. Bangladesh's first match against Pakistan on October 20. The second match against India on October 23 in Group A.
Sabina, Sanjida know very well that it is difficult to retain any achievement. However, their confidence flowed in their voices.
Captain Sabina Khatun said, “Our main target to clinch the SAFF Championship title in second time in a row. It’s our great challenge.”
Masura said, “We have to do our work properly in real time. Let's see what happens. Any tournament is challenging.”
Coach Butler doesn't want to dwell on the events of two years ago.
For him, this year's SAFF championship in Nepal is a new challenge, a new fight, “Bangladesh won the SAFF two years ago. It's the past. I don't want to think about the past. I live in the present, work on what will happen in the future. Yes, we won the title. But this time we have to be focused again. The challenge that will come is completely new.
The team has changed a lot since two years ago. While some of that team is gone, some new faces have also been added. Coach Butler has already given a message that "familiar faces" are not a big deal to him. Performance on the field, impact is key. Having taken charge last June, he proved his worth in two international friendlies against Chinese Taipei.
In one match, the team's most experienced footballer, captain Sabina, was withdrawn in the second half, while in the other, he played the last 13 minutes. He brought some changes in other positions of the team. Thimpu also continued testing in two international friendlies against Bhutan in July. A lot of things can change before the SAFF Championship in Nepal, he also said, adding, 'No one's place in the team is guaranteed.'
Buttler is not too worried about the opponent. Although this time Bangladesh is facing the 'ever-rival' India in the group stage, it is not possible to know much about the opponent. I don't know what kind of team it will be, you don't know either, I think even the opposing coach has not decided his team yet. The strength of adversaries may change over time. The teams actually started playing against each other with 75 per cent ideas.
From 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. two hours of hard practice. Match situation, formation training, set piece - everything was done by Butler. The briefing continued with that. What is the responsibility of a player, who, how to press the opponent, if someone goes up, who will go down and handle the attack of the opponent. Butler also explained them in a strong voice.
However, the regret of not being able to play a preparatory match before going to play such a big tournament was expressed in the coach's voice, "I have no complaints, but the situation is different this time." However, it would be better to play a warm-up match. I am positive, I will jump with whatever I have. There is no use in regretting. I will bring the team to the field to win with the logistics of my hand. The players ran towards the bus after training. Breakfast will be served in the buffet building. But after two hours of hard practice, no one showed any signs of fatigue. The team bus was standing behind the practice field of the sports complex. Next to the field is a vast area of forest. In the autumn morning, the girls stopped for a while while standing in front of the forest in the gentle breeze. A photograph was also taken leaving Kashful behind. What can be done without taking pictures if you get such a beautiful forest!
