Nepal Police falter in AFC President Cup

National League champions Nepal Police Club’s debacle at the  recently concluded AFC President Cup qualifiers in Cambodia did not surprise me a bit.

What I feared most transpired in the end. Personally I was hugely disappointed and felt somewhat let down. I seriously thought Nepal Police Club (NPC) stood a good chance to reach the final round, but that was not to be the case. There is no excuse for their lackadaisical and insipid   showing.

As   a   matter of fact, they gave far less than their best, and I have to say they let a chance go by begging.

The opener against Dordoi Dynamo was crucial, and they needed a decent start to be in contention. Contrary to expectations, the boys faltered and were a pale shadow of themselves this time.

They were literally overwhelmed, outpaced and outplayed by a physically dominant opposition. The cops blew away the match by not sticking to the game plan and becoming   complacent   and   incoherent.

It was a poor exhibition   of football by their standards.  Despite defeat   they were in with a chance against    Phnom Penh Crown FC. They did put up a   much better performance but failed to seal the deal as they lost.

On the other hand, the home team made most of home advantage, and eventually they squeaked out a 1-0 victory.  In the battle of nerves   and missed chances   the Cambodians prevailed   at the end. Clearly   it was a missed opportunity for the boys to make amends,following their mediocrity in the opening match..

The 4-0 win against  minnows Yeedzen FC, Bhutan was inconsequential   and proved to be mere consolation. Over all, it was   a below par performance by   NPC   to say the least.

In defense some may argue that the team was not in full strength. There is some credence to it, however, more than the absence of a few players the team lacked the performance to impact the competition as they would have liked.

In fact, it was/is a continuation of their struggle and inconsistency   we have witnessed in the last two years.

A team like NPC that has access to good training facilities and trains year round should have been better prepared to deal with the challenge.

So far coach Birat Krishna Shrestha has done reasonably well but has plenty of work to do. I am no expert    to assess or question   his expertise. He is one of the  upcoming and  highly respected coaches in the country, and under him NPC’s success has  improved greatly in all areas.

It is very important for coach Shrestha to work   on the grey areas of the team for consistency and better results.

The management’s role is pivotal when it comes to driving the team towards a whole new level. They have to display determination, ambition, resolve to get things done and not get bogged down merely by domestic success

I believe this team has the potential   to become   much   better and tougher.