Five positives from Pakistan’s SAFF Cup campaign

Five positives from Pakistan’s SAFF Cup campaign

With Pakistan’s SAFF Cup campaign all but over, Newspakistan analyses the top five positives that can be taken from the surprisingly decent performances from the Green Kickers.

5. Better discipline and organization

One of the most surprising aspects in Pakistan’s matches, was the remarkable discipline and organization showed by Zavisa’s men. The defence thoroughly communicated with each other and helped link the midfield properly.

This was quite contrary to the days under Lutfi, where no one seemed to know what they were doing and the whole team just looked like a bunch of amateurs thrown on the big stage.

4. Shakir Lashari’s return

Although the striker wasn’t able to feature for long periods during the competition, he more than justified his selection by terrorizing defences after coming off the bench. His physique coupled with his skills on the ball made him a true force to be reckoned
with and one wonders why he did not start the game against Nepal.

In the future, he should be considered as a first choice starter for Pakistan, where his talents will be much better utilized.

3. Kaleemullah finally proved his worth

Kaleemullah, who has often been labelled as failure during Lutfi’s tenure, was arguably Pakistan’s most potent attacking player. His mazy dribbles oozed with class and he looked like a footballer finally playing in a position, which he was more accustomed
to. One to watch out for in the future.

4. Jaffar Khan’s resurgence

Only a couple of months ago, Jaffar Khan was the laughing stock of Asia’s footballing fraternity, as he conceded some of the most easiest to save goals against Bangladesh. His errors caused uproar from the fans, who demanded his immediate banishment from
the team.

However in the SAFF Cup, he proved that he is still number one choice for Pakistan, as he put in a number of world-class saves and commanded his penalty box with authority.

5. Rock solid defence

One of the highlights of the Pakistani team was their defence, which proved to be the difference between a mediocre and decent tournament.

Not only did they only concede one goal in three games, but the likes of Samar Ishaq and Kamran Khan proved that they should be considered for International duty whenever the need arises.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=5711

Posted by Shahrukh Sohail on Dec 8 2011. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry