Bangladesh must find goals without Sullivan

Bangladesh coach Thomas Dooley has ruled out calling up a replacement for injured forward Ronan Sullivan, insisting he must find a solution within his existing squad as the hosts prepare for their SAFF Championship opener against Bhutan on Thursday.

Sullivan’s knee injury has disrupted Bangladesh’s plans to strengthen their attack ahead of the tournament, which begins in Dhaka on Thursday. The US-based young forward was brought into the 28-man squad alongside Mohammad Mahe Khan, who plays in the United Kingdom, to address the team’s long-standing shortage of goals.

Dooley, however, said he would not waste time worrying about a situation beyond his control, adding that the team must find a way to cope with Sullivan’s absence.

“I received the news that he is injured and cannot join us. I don’t think about things I cannot change. If I cannot change the situation, why should I worry about it?” Dooley told reporters at the team hotel on Monday.

The German-American coach wished Sullivan a speedy recovery but made it clear that Bangladesh would have to work with the players available. He also indicated that SAFF regulations left little room for changes to the squad after the deadline for submissions.

Asked whether Rafael Tudu could be called up as a replacement, Dooley stressed that his immediate task was to find an alternative within the current group.

“We are not playing with 10 men. We are playing 11 against 11, so we have to put someone in the number nine position,” he said.

“We played the ASEAN Cup without a recognised number nine, and we may have to do the same in this tournament. We have to find someone who can play in that position and get the best out of him.”

Dooley admitted that losing a player of Sullivan’s quality was a setback, particularly given the forward’s performances at Under-20 level, although he had yet to play for the senior national team.

Bangladesh also have injury concerns over Bishwanath Ghosh and Shekh Morsalin, while the coach is still assessing the fitness of several players who have struggled to train regularly.

“We have to find out which players are fit to play. We cannot play with nine or eight players, as we did against Malaysia. We need 11 players against 11,” Dooley said, adding that the best solutions would become clear on the pitch.

With two days left before their opening match, Dooley was clear about his immediate target.

“Our plan is to win the match. We need three points, and we will do everything we can to achieve that,” he said.

Bangladesh, who last won the SAFF title in 2003, will face Bhutan at the National Stadium on 5 November as they begin their bid to end a 23-year wait for the trophy.

The 15th edition runs until 17 November, with six teams competing after Nepal were ruled out because of a FIFA suspension. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka form Group A, while defending champions India, the Maldives and Pakistan are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals on 14 November, with the final scheduled for 17 November.