All set for Bangladesh…

First up for Al-Fursan is Bangladesh, a squad they faced in the 2006 edition of the tournament. The result then was a 1-1 draw which saw the team clinch the group on 7 points and a whopping +15 GD (11-0 vs. Guam and 4-0 vs. Cambodia). The only foreign based players in that squad were the ageless Pablo Abdala, Roberto Bishara, and Francisco Alam (Abusidu arrived late and only participated in the quarterfinal). The team now isn’t dissimilar despite the absence of established professionals. Before that tournament, Fahed Attal was just a promise (much like Eyad Abugharqud), Keshkesh was just a squad player, as was Ismail Al-Amour. Sure, there were the established steady heads of Jendeya and Al-Kord but let’s face it the team started like a house on fire because the supporting cast came of age.

The onus is on the players now. They have had a month to train together, to test their skills against a strong Kuwaiti Olympic Team, and to gain experience playing away from home in Pakistan. For all the talent of the 2006 team their physical fitness was lacking, they ran out of steam against Bangladesh and let up an injury time winner against Kyrgyzstan in the quarterfinals (in a game they dominated statistically). That shouldn’t be an issue for the squad now. Moreover, Palestine head into this competition as the most stable team in the group. Bangladesh’s manager, Robert Rubicic was appointed in September, Philippines and Myanmar appointed new bosses at the start of the calendar year.

Bezaz has had ample time and is coaching for his job, failure to qualify against unimpressive (with all due respect to the opponents) opposition would surely seal his fate. But there is no reason to expect the worst here and the team seems to be in a very confident mood ahead of their first game.