A perfect 10, but the best is yet to come

Detailed summary

Dooley described the defensive organisation as "perfect", saying he felt comfortable with everyone from the goalkeeper to the players further forward. That solidity allowed…

Very few matches leave you with the kind of satisfaction that goes beyond the relief of simply winning.

Bangladesh's 4-0 victory over Sri Lanka on Wednesday was one of those. The joy was unmistakable, from the stands to the pitch, as supporters even broke through the gates to get inside. They were watching a team play with a confidence and fluency that had been missing for some time.

What made the performance particularly satisfying was not just the scoreline, but how well the different parts of the team worked together.

Bangladesh were organised without the ball, composed in midfield and dangerous going forward. The four goals came from four different players, but the bigger development was that head coach Thomas Dooley appeared to have found a structure that allowed his best players to complement each other.

The biggest adjustment came in midfield: Shamit Shome and Quazem Shah operating as a double pivot, with captain Hamza Choudhury pushed into the No 10 role.

Quazem, who had been in and out of the national setup over the past year and was left out of the FIFA ASEAN Cup squad, brought a measure of defensive stability. He sat deeper, screened the back four, closed passing lanes and helped Bangladesh retain possession under pressure. His positioning also allowed Shamit to move forward more often, joining attacks without leaving the midfield exposed.

The arrangement also gave Hamza greater influence closer to goal. Previously deployed in a deeper role, he often had to cover ground and contribute defensively. Against Sri Lanka, he could use his passing range, strength and ability to drive into space in more dangerous areas.

Dooley wanted to use Hamza's football intelligence to link up with the wide players and the centre-forward, while allowing him to shoot from distance and attack the box. Sharing the defensive workload also gave the other midfielders more freedom.

The benefits were visible out wide. With Hamza occupying the opposition centrally, Farhaan Ali Wahid found…

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Daily Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.