Bangladesh find themselves in a peculiar position heading into the second fixture of their Asian Cup Qualifiers: a team rich in midfield talent but notably lacking balance in both attack and defence.
While the coaching staff and sections of the media have highlighted the depth and quality in midfield -- bolstered by the arrival of expat players -- there remains little to celebrate when it comes to the other two-thirds of the pitch.
Shamit Shome, the latest addition to Bangladesh's growing pool of diaspora players, expressed admiration for the midfield strength even before attending his first training session with the team. His arrival adds further depth to an area that was already considered Bangladesh's most competent, featuring stalwarts like Jamal Bhuiyan (89 caps), Sohel Rana (72 caps), and the emerging Mohammad Ridoy (23 caps). With Shome now joining Hamza Choudhury in the middle, competition for places has intensified. Even players in good domestic form this season-- Sohel Rana Jr and Manik Molla -- have failed to make the final squad, underlining the abundance of options available. Head coach Javier Cabrera has described this as a "great problem" to have, but the imbalance it creates across the pitch may be more of a concern than a luxury.
Could midfield overload solve Bangladesh's goal crisis?
The team's recurring and most pressing issue remains its inability to score goals. Despite midfielders like Hamza and Sohel Rana finding the net in a 2-0 win over Bhutan last week, such contributions are unlikely to continue against stronger opponents like Singapore.
Bangladesh have managed just five goals in their last 10 international outings since March 2024, and tellingly, none of those goals came from recognised forwards. The last time a forward scored for Bangladesh was back in October 2023 during a World Cup Qualifier against the Maldives, when Rakib Hossain and Faysal Ahmed Fahim both found the target. For a proper No. 9 to have last scored even further back -- in a friendly against Nepal in September 2022-- speaks volumes about the team's struggles in front of goal.
Bangladesh team train in Saudi Arabia in March, 2025 ahead of their AFC Asian Cup clash against India. Photo: BFF
In this current squad, Sumon Reza (1 goal in 27 appearances) is the only orthodox striker, but he has been sidelined due to poor form and fitness issues with Abahani. Cabrera's response against Bhutan was to play Rakib Hossain, a natural winger with commendable work rate and dribbling, as a makeshift striker. Meanwhile, midfielder Syed Quazem Shah Kirmanee was deployed on the wing. The experiment failed, prompting a tactical reshuffle at half-time, which saw Rakib return to the flank and Al Amin -- another non-traditional striker -- introduced up front. Al Amin impressed with his energy and involvement, but remains untested on the international stage. His inclusion against Singapore, if it happens, will be a leap of faith more than a statement of confidence.
There are scoring options on the wings in theory. Rakib and Mohammad Ibrahim have both scored four goals for the national team, while Faysal Ahmed Fahim has one to his name. However, none of them have scored in the past two years. Perhaps the most telling statistic of all is that centre-back Topu Barman is currently the highest scorer in the squad with six international goals. That alone paints a troubling picture of where Bangladesh stand in terms of attacking threat.
Not so watertight in defence either
Defensively, the issues are just as worrying. Bangladesh's backline tends to unravel against quicker opponents who press high and move the ball rapidly. The current squad includes only four centre-backs: Topu Barman, Tariq Kazi, Shakil Ahad Topu, and Jahid Hassan Shanto. Of these, Shakil impressed recently against India but has just three caps, while Shanto is uncapped. That leaves the burden on two experienced names: Topu, whose defensive dominance has waned since his peak years, and Tariq, who is still regaining form after a long injury layoff. Though Topu won the most valuable player award in the domestic league, much of that recognition is attributed to his goal-scoring ability rather than his defensive contributions.
Tariq Kazi celebrates with fellow centre-back Tapu Barman following his goal during Bangladesh’s 3-1 win against Maldives in the SAFF Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Photo: SAFF
Interestingly, there were options available for Cabrera to choose from at centre-back positions. Abahani veteran Yeasin Khan and Mohammedan's reliable Mehedi Hasan Mithu had solid campaigns, yet neither made the squad. The reasons for their exclusion are known only to the coach, but if the backline falters against Singapore, Cabrera may have to turn to his midfielders-- perhaps Hamza, Shamit, or even Ridoy -- to drop deeper and support the defence.
In essence, Bangladesh are a team with a reinforced engine room but with underperforming or unproven elements at either end. Unless the team can find a way to convert midfield dominance into goals and reinforce a shaky defence, their campaign risks being another story of potential undone by imbalance.
