Cabrera at a crossroads

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera finds himself at a defining crossroads, blessed with a momentous opportunity to shape the very future of the country's football.

The Spaniard has been entrusted with a golden chance to manage the national team at a juncture marking the rebirth of Bangladesh football, fuelled by the arrival of Hamza Choudhury, Shamit Shome, and several other high-quality expats. Now, buoyed by all the attention and support from fans, time is ticking for Cabrera to deliver the goods: harness the positivity and upliftment around football to create a legacy or become the main character who fluffs the opportunity to cash in on the serious quality boost and kills this incredible buzz.

As things stand, Bangladesh are yet to find a victory in a competitive match (barring friendlies) since the arrival of Hamza in March and are on the brink of failure after losing both their home matches and drawing the other, away from home, in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. The latest 4-3 defeat came at home against Hong Kong on Thursday. A win has indeed eluded Bangladesh, but the major concern has been the fact that the team's performances have largely paid tribute to the stagnant phase of Bangladesh football -- or the pre-Hamza era. There have been numerous instances when Bangladesh went toe-to-toe with much higher-ranked opponents and came back with losses; there are notable cases where the men in red and green could've nicked games. And that was when the team did not have players like Hamza or Shamit and relied on local talents groomed within the dilapidated domestic structure. So, after being presented with such supreme talent, one would rightly expect a major boost in how the team would play. This brings forth the burning question: Why has nothing changed? Why are Bangladesh still paying odes to past performances despite having superior talents in key positions?

Ideally, in such cases, when on-field displays are questionable and tactics make heads scratch, the head coach is held responsible. In line with that convention, Cabrera must take the lion's share of the responsibility.

The Spaniard has persistently welcomed scrutiny with his questionable player choices -- adamantly relying on underperforming regulars and being hesitant to promote promising players. His immovable trust in error-prone right-forward-turned-left-back Saad Uddin in defence has consistently backfired, with the latest instance of his defensive shortcomings costing Bangladesh big time against Hong Kong. Moreover, forwards like Faisal Ahmed Fahim have repeatedly failed to justify the coach's unwavering faith.

The squad suffers from a major deficiency, as it has no out-and-out striker; however, Cabrera has persistently opted to overlook this vacuum and instead tried to make up for it with wingers -- an attempt that has almost always proved futile. Even when new talents are called into preliminary squads, they are almost destined never to see any playing time, as Cabrera seems to have his favoured players, with no amount of exciting form ever forcing its way into his plans. It's almost always the regulars who get a seat at Cabrera's table. Even the women's team coach Peter Butler, who had coached the BFF Elite Academy, voiced his frustration about players not being roped through the ranks to the senior side.

Cabrera's ultra-conservative approach has also been under the microscope, and another example of that was laid bare against Hong Kong. Having named a cautious eleven with questionable starters, it was only after going down 2-1 that he opted for a proactive role -- one that paid off. Off went Sohel Rana Senior and Junior and Fahim, and in came captain Jamal Bhuyan, Fahemedul Islam, and Shamit Shome. All three had an impact and left their mark on the game with key offensive contributions. Jamal's delivery was involved in two of the goals, Shamit found the net, Fahemedul looked menacing, and, as the game went on, left-back Zayyan Ahmed became a serious attacking outlet in the dying moments. So why not go with a positive mindset from the get-go? Why bind the team with a straitjacket from the onset and set them free only after the damage has been done?

With so many of his choices in how this Bangladesh team operates, Cabrera's decisions continue to bewilder. But given the unpromising performances, the time has come to ask whether he is the right man to take Bangladesh forward. It's now or never as Bangladesh face Hong Kong in the reverse fixture on Thursday.