Coach Stefanowski has much work to do

The frustration and anger of   partisan supporters was evident   at   Dasarath Rangashala, following Nepal’s back-to back defeat against Pakistan.

Not surprisingly, fans chanted slogans   against   All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and the team for the poor result. I don’t blame them. The fact of the matter is that they have been left with nothing but disappointment and disillusionment for far too long.

There is absolutely   no excuse for the team’s   mediocrity and sloppiness.  They made a total hash of the home   field advantages, and   the lack of finishing once again was very obvious.

Nepal did   look the better outfit in the   first match, however, performed rather poorly in the second. There was nothing to separate the two teams, technically and tactically. They played a similar brand of football.

That said, the visitors   did have the physical edge, and they used   it to their advantage for the most part.   On the other hand, the host struggled   with   the ariel ball and failed to break down the opposition’s stubborn resistance.

In both matches, coach Stefanowski boys created a host of scoring opportunities but were unable to convert into goals. By and large, the forwards   were way off   target and   lacked   the clinical precision and creativity.

I have to point out here that the lack of clinical precision has become a trend lately.  Understandably, the team’s good performance   goes   in vain   if   goals are hard to come by.

The forwards   inability to score goals has been a big problem that has plagued the   team for long. Their struggle continues as they failed to a score a single goal against Pakistan in two matches.

The defense put in a decent performance, over all. This is one area; the coach has less to worry about. No doubt, Rohit Chand’s presence is bound to solidify the defense. Nonetheless, there is plenty of room for improvement.

Defensively, there were some glaring lapses in concentration, tackles and clearance that we need to deal with right away. In addition to that, the defense   looked susceptible   against the tall and physically strong  forwards , time and time again.

The   midfield play was far from satisfactory. The midfielders were guilty   of  mispasses   and failed to strike a good   coordination with the forwards.

With a  severely weak offense and a   shaky midfield, Team Nepal now has a mountain to climb in the AFC Challenge Cup. Like a  good teacher, Coach Stefanowski   has got to know his players by now.

I am confident in saying that he will  do a good job when it comes to selecting the   best team for the upcoming international tournament.

Prior to the   friendlies,   there was a feeling of optimism in the air, especially with the appointment of American   Stefanowski as head   coach   of the national team. However, it proved  a  false hope ,following  the home team’s dismal  and disheartening performance.

It would be fair to say that the  honeymoon is over for Coach Stefanowski.   He is off to a rocky start, and he realizes   a  daunting  task lies ahead of him.

He has less than a month left to prepare his team for the AFC Challenge Cup. It would be interesting to see what he   does   or can do   to turn things around.

Not an easy task   by any stretch of the   imagination. The coach has few   options at his disposal worth mentioning, but it   is very   imperative that   he   keeps motivating players. Keeping them involved and working   hard is   very important despite the adversity.

Coach  Stefanowski rightly said that there is a need to prepare the  team  adequately, coupled with quality  friendly matches, something ANFA tends to overlook it.

The coach has outlined short-term goals he hopes to accomplish. Whether   he can get   it done or not largely  depends on  the kind of  support  he gets from  ANFA.

Having said all this, however, Team Nepal got to rise to the occasion, and at the same time   take their game to a new level if they   want to make a positive impression. The opportunity is there yet again to prove their mettle.