India start as title favourites at SAFF, says Bangladesh boss Oscar Bruzon

The Spaniard has been made the Bangla Tigers' head coach on an interim basis.

After leading Bashundhara Kings to two Bangladesh Premier League titles among other trophies, Oscar Bruzon now has a new goal to achieve. The Spaniard has been appointed as the interim head coach of the Bangladesh national team for two months, starting with the SAFF Championship. In just three years at Bashundhara Kings, Bruzon guided them to five trophies. He takes over a Bangladesh side that last won the SAFF Championship in 2003. 18 years have passed since and the closest they have come to winning it again was in 2005, when they lost the final to India.

This is quite a new territory for the 44-year-old Bruzon, who has also coached Sporting Clube de Goa and Mumbai FC in Indian football. But, he is ready to take the challenge hands-on and has already clicked the 'reset button' during the short time he has been with the Bangla Tigers.

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Khel Now spoke to the new Bangladesh caretaker manager ahead of the SAFF Championship. Oscar Bruzon spoke on a variety of topics including his spell at Bashundhara, the balance of the squad for SAFF and more.

Taking over Bangladesh national team

Bruzon was appointed after Bangladesh parted ways with Jamie Day following a seven-match winless run. Under the Englishman, the Bangla Tigers won just 10 of their 30 matches of which 15, including the last four, were defeats. Bruzon lost only five of the 68 matches that he coached Bashundhara Kings in. He is among the most successful coaches in Bangladesh football in recent times, making him the ideal candidate to take the role.

"I guess the decision from BFF is a consequence of a successful season at my club, Bashundhara Kings. Our aim is simple - to give continuity and transfer our ideas to the national team," said Bruzon. "We got full support and encouragement from all the stakeholders. It has helped me to step in with a strong belief that we can complete a good tournament."

Taking up challenge at short notice

Appointed as a caretaker manager, Bruzon's first assignment will be the SAFF Championship. He has been with the national team for merely a week and heads into the tournament without any friendlies. But, the Spaniard is not panicking. He promises fast and attacking football, moving away from the defensive style under Day.

"We are trying to adjust to the players, finding solutions to allow them to perform at their best. It is about providing them fresh ideas and tools, challenging them in every training session," said Bruzon, who has worked as an assistant coach at Mumbai City FC and La Liga outfit Mallorca.

"We need a fast, effective and solid implementation of our desired game model to get the desired results. In situations where the camp and preparation are short, we can only work on some principles like the speed of the ball circulation, dynamics of the positions and team positioning, game moments, intent of the team transitions, and so on."

Reflections on team's preparation and COVID-19

The Bangladesh national team travelled to the Maldives on September 28 (Tuesday) after completing their preparation for the SAFF Championship under new interim coach Oscar Bruzon. The Spaniard named a 23-member final squad, with Nigerian-born Eleta Kingsley among those dropped.

"All the group has tested negative. So far no issues regarding COVID," said Bruzon. Our main focus and emphasis is on the process. We just had six training sessions to settle the new game ideas.  Our desire is to be able to take the initiative and command matches, rather than adopting a defensive approach and relying on the counter," he added.

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Carrying experience from Bashundhara Kings

The success he enjoyed with Bashundhara can be easily replicated with the national team as several players from the club are in the squad, feels Bruzon.

"Six members of my coaching staff have joined together with me for this assignment. We also have 10 of our players on the team. So, the change is not as drastic as it might seem," said the 44-year-old. "Having those professionals from my former club definitely helps to make the process more smooth, in terms of reducing the time to absorb all the information. The short time and the lack of friendly games to prepare for the competition have been replaced with a strong self-belief and confidence. We are having video sessions longer than usual, to help us in reducing the adaptation timings."

Mood in Bangladesh camp

On a seven-match winless run and with just one win in their last 13 matches, Bangladesh will need to quickly regroup if they are to seriously challenge for the title. Bruzon though is confident that the side are starting afresh.

"The past and recent bad results are not an issue for us," he says. "We have totally reset from them and started a new era. SAFF tournament is just an opportunity to show where Bangladesh football stays nowadays in the international arena."

Thoughts on squad balance

Bruzon appears satisfied with the 23-member squad he has picked for the SAFF Championship. He is also confident the squad will make an impact in the tournament.

"The tendency, atmosphere and feelings are all positive. We assume all together will have a positive impact on the team performances," he said.

Which opponent poses toughest challenge?

"Right now, all efforts and attention are on our opening game against Sri Lanka," said Oscar Bruzon. "The FIFA rankings are quite similar for all nations except for India, which is way ahead of the rest. So, we can initially consider India as the favourites to lift the trophy," he added.

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Target for SAFF Championship

Bangladesh last won the SAFF title in 2003. They also played the final two years later. But, have since failed to make the summit clash even once. Infact, the Bangla Tigers have bowed out from the group stage in five of the last six editions. With 2009 being the only exception, when they made the semis. However, Bruzon is optimistic his side can make progress in the tournament.

"Honestly, we have not settled general objectives for the tournament. We rather prefer the fact to consider that we can beat any and all of our opponents," he said. "In particular, the winners of the opening games will multiply their chances to get a spot in the final."

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