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Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley believes there is no better captain for the national team than Hamza Choudhury, praising the midfielder's influence on the pitch after handing him the armband for Wednesday's emphatic 4-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the SAFF Championship.
Hamza, who has previously been deployed in a deeper midfield role, was pushed further forward as a number 10 against Sri Lanka and delivered an influential performance, scoring once and helping Bangladesh dominate their final Group A encounter at the National Stadium.
Asked whether Hamza would continue as captain for the rest of the tournament, Dooley made his admiration for the midfielder clear.
“There's no better captain than Hamza, there's no question about that. I hope that he wants to be the captain every game that he's playing,” Dooley said at the post-match press conference.
The German-American coach also explained that Hamza's leadership does not necessarily depend on wearing the armband, as his presence and influence already command the respect of his teammates.
“When I came, what they were saying was that he doesn't want to be the captain. And that's why Jamal [Bhuyan] was the captain. But he doesn't need to be the captain. Whatever he says, the players follow him anyway, so it's not important,” he said.
With regular captain Jamal not in the starting line-up, Topu Barman unavailable and Saad Uddin suffering an injury, Bangladesh needed a new leader. Dooley said Hamza had expressed his willingness to take on the responsibility.
“It's also important because he's the only one actually who can talk to the referee. With his presence on the field, it's very important to have a player like him,” he added.
Beyond the captaincy, Dooley's decision to use Hamza in the number 10 role was central to Bangladesh's attacking approach. The coach wanted to take advantage of his football intelligence, passing range, pace and ability to arrive in the box, while keeping the deeper midfield positions organised.
“I was hoping that his presence in the number 10 position would attract a little bit more attention from the other team,” Dooley explained.
“When Hamza plays in defensive midfield, in a six or an eight position, he goes forward a lot because he wants to help everywhere. We thought that if we could put him up front, he could help with his football knowledge, passing to the wide players and the centre-forward, shots from 20 yards and runs into the box. He can be a really dangerous player for us up front.”
The coach also felt that positioning Hamza further forward gave other attacking players more freedom, while allowing the team to retain its defensive structure.
Hamza's contribution earned him a perfect score from Dooley when the coach was asked to rate his performance out of 10.
“10. 10! I mean, he was excellent. What else do you want him to do, score five goals?” Dooley replied.
The coach's assessment reflected a performance in which Hamza combined his attacking responsibilities with the authority and energy expected of a captain. For Dooley, however, the midfielder's greatest value lies in the influence he has on those around him.
“If we win the ball up front, the other players are not alone. They have a leader with them. Otherwise, the leader is in the back and he has to run all over the field and gets tired out,” he said.
With Bangladesh now preparing for their semi-final against Pakistan on November 14, Hamza's role as both an attacking focal point and an on-field leader could prove crucial to their hopes of reaching the final.
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