The camp began on October 3 and the team is expected to reach Manila on October 11, before its opening match with Chinese Taipei on October 13. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan will be playing two matches in Bacolod against the Philippines and Chinese Taipei. The spotlight will be on Bahrain’s Shamlan, who is currently preparing the team for the event.
The camp began on October 3 and the team is expected to reach Manila on October 11, before its opening match with Chinese Taipei on October 13.
“It is a very intense camp, where Shamlan is working extremely hard with all the players,” Kaleemullah, who is a part of the national camp in Lahore, told The Express Tribune. “Every coach has his own goals and so far he has emphasised that we shouldn’t be complacent. He told us that our natural style is aggressive and we shouldn’t deviate from it.
“The coach said we will suffer if we continued with our defensive approach in the international matches, as we would be unable to build pressure on the opposition with our previous tactics.”
Kaleemullah, who returned to Islamabad last week after playing in the AFC President’s Cup final with KRL, said the coach wants the team to improve its technical game.
However, given the scenario, he added that Shamlan should not be judged on the team’s performance in the Philippines.
“We have a very short camp, and this is not the time to judge Shamlan,” said the striker. “He’s just come in; he will need some more time to make his own team. He brought new players and that’s a good thing.”
The Pakistan Football Federation Secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi also confirmed that the foreign-based footballers will join the squad for the Peace Cup directly in the Philippines.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2013.
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