How long can Butler blame the gap?
After Bangladesh's 6-0 defeat to South Korea on Thursday, following a record 10-0 loss to North Korea three days earlier, the Bangladesh coach again returned to the same explanation: infrastructure, experience and a gap that makes this level difficult to bridge.
“This level is too much of a big step up for us at this present time,” Butler said. “We don't have the infrastructure. To compete at this level, you need many, many things.”
He is not wrong. South Korea and North Korea have years of experience at the Olympics, Asian Cup and Asian Games. Bangladesh are still trying to build the depth and structure to compete at that level.
But Butler's refrain is becoming as familiar as the defeats.
“We've been a victim of our own success,” he said. “We're not good enough to compete at this level.”
Bangladesh's back-to-back SAFF titles and Asian Cup qualifications have taken them into bigger competitions, but repeatedly explaining the gap does little to narrow it. The infrastructure may not be in Butler's hands, but selection, preparation, tactical adjustments and game management are.
That makes Monday's meeting with Myanmar important for Butler too. He has already admitted that some players he expected to make an impact did not, while others surprised him. His job now is to turn those observations into decisions that produce a better response.
After two heavy defeats, Butler has identified plenty of problems. Against Myanmar, he needs to show what he can do about them.
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