Dooley sees Bishwanath as a forward option

Bangladesh national team head coach Thomas Dooley believes defender Bishwanath Ghosh could have been an option as a centre-forward in the absence of a recognised number nine.

Bishwanath, however, has been ruled out of the FIFA ASEAN Cup with a hamstring injury, leaving Dooley to consider wingers Rakib Hossain, Sheikh Morsalin and Shahrear Emon for the position.

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The German-American coach shared his thoughts with reporters before Tuesday’s training session at the Bashundhara Kings Arena after assessing Bishwanath’s performance in Bangladesh’s 2-1 victory over San Marino.

“We don't have a typical number nine. The question is, why don't we have a number nine in the league here? Every club has a foreign player as a number nine, so we are not developing number nines. We have to find out who can play that position,” Dooley said.

“That's why Bishwanath, for me, is also a player I could put up front. When you look at the San Marino game, he provided the assist for the second goal, was twice in front of the goalkeeper and could have scored. He was always putting pressure on them.”

Dooley also suggested that Bishwanath’s all-action approach as a defender could sometimes put Bangladesh at risk of conceding free-kicks or penalties inside the box.

“Now he's not there anymore. In my head, I actually had him as an offensive player rather than a defender because he goes in 100 per cent, and that can always be dangerous for free-kicks and penalties in the box. I would rather have him as an offensive player, like he was against San Marino. He did an excellent job,” said Dooley.

With Bishwanath unavailable, Dooley is now considering several wingers and attacking midfielders for the centre-forward role.

“We have to find somebody and put him in a position where he can help us the most as a centre-forward. Who that will be, we don't know yet. I have some ideas about who can do that. Is it Rakib, Morsalin or maybe Emon? We need to find out who steps up,” said Dooley.

Dooley also said several key players, including Topu Barman, Jamal Bhuiyan and Faisal Ahmed Fahim, are dealing with injuries but should recover in time for the FIFA ASEAN Cup.