We have to be able to die on the pitch if we want to win: Dhaka Abahani boss Mario Lemos

The tactician expects his team to work on their mistakes and give a good fight in the upcoming fixture.

Dhaka Abahani is to play Mohun Bagan SG in the qualifying fixture for the 2023 AFC Cup on 22 August 2023. The contest winner will secure a place in the group stages of the continental competition, which raises the stakes by a considerable amount. Mario Lemos, the head coach of the Bangladeshi outfit, is hoping that his team can put up a strong fight against the winners of the Indian Super League 2022-23.

Mario Lemos took part in the pre-match press conference, alongside defender Rahmat Mia, to talk about his team’s chances, the quality of Mohun Bagan SG’s squad and more. He also gave his opinion on how building academies and developing young players is the way to improve the standards of football in Bangladesh.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation with the head coach ahead of the crucial game:

Aiming to make amends

Last year, Dhaka Abahani lost against ATK Mohun Bagan in the qualifying fixture and Mario Lemos aims to work on the mistakes that the outfit made in the previous fixture as they prepare to face the Mariners once again. In this regard, he said, “It is a tough match for sure. Mohun Bagan SG is a really good and experienced team. We played against them last season and made some mistakes, hopefully, this year we can work on those mistakes, at least try to make the game more competitive than last year.”

“They really have a philosophy, an idea of play, possession-based, press high and they get a lot of players in attacking third. It is a team that plays to win. As far as weaknesses are concerned, I am not going to speak about weaknesses. We have huge respect for them and will try to give our best to compete with them,” he said while acknowledging the quality of MBSG’s squad.

Opportunity for young players

Speaking about the young players in the squad, Lemos said, “We took players from the Bangladesh Premier League who were part of, I don’t like to say, smaller clubs but who were playing in Bangladesh and we brought them for this competition. For many of them, it is the first time they are playing in the AFC Cup and for them, it is an opportunity to play at a high level. For me, it is about trying to adapt to these new players and fit them in the way I want to play. Hopefully, they can shine tomorrow.”

Tackling attackers of the Mariners

Mohun Bagan SG has a deadly attacking force, one that will terrify Dhaka Abahani’s defence. Speaking on how he expects his team to tackle the attack of the Mariners, Lemos said, “We have to be organised and disciplined. I tell my players that we have to be able to suffer more. We won’t have the ball, we have to fight, run and be able to play without the ball. As a player, you always want to have the ball.” 

“In the BPL, it is the opposite, we always have the ball and try to dominate every match. It is the changing of mindset, allowing them to have the ball in certain areas where we feel comfortable. We have to be able to die on the pitch if we want to win the match when we are talking about the quality of players (in the MBSG squad),” he further added in the context.

Rahmat Mia on the importance of the fixture

Rahmat Mia of Dhaka Abahani spoke about how the upcoming match holds a lot of importance just like every other fixture. He said, “Every match is important for the players. It will be a tough match but we will play in our own way.” He also spoke about how the footballers in the Bangladesh Army team do not play together for long periods of time which leads to a lack of chemistry on the pitch in reference to the side’s 5-0 defeat at the hands of MBSG in the 2023 Durand Cup. 

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