‘Victim of our own success’: Butler on Bangladesh’s Asian gap

Bangladesh women's football has reached a point where success has become a double-edged sword, head coach Peter Butler feels.

The back-to-back SAFF titles, Asian Cup qualifications and growing regional stature have earned them a place among Asia's best. But against the continent's heavyweights, those achievements have also exposed just how much Bangladesh still need to build.

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Three days after a record 10-0 defeat to North Korea, Bangladesh went down 6-0 to South Korea in their second game in the Asian Games at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, leaving them with 16 goals conceded and none scored from their first two Group F matches.

“I thought 6-0 was a little bit harsh, if I'm being honest,” the Bangladesh head coach said after the match. 

“But we're the type of team that if we concede one, we concede three. We go bang, bang, bang. That's just us.”

Butler has seen another side of his team too, describing them as capable of being “really rock solid and resilient” before acknowledging how quickly that resilience can disappear.

“At other times we can be like a leaky tent, we can concede goals for fun,” he said.

The two matches against the two giants have exposed that inconsistency, but Butler also sees value in having tested his players against opponents operating at a level Bangladesh rarely encounter.

South Korea and North Korea have years of experience at the Olympics, Asian Cup and Asian Games. Bangladesh, meanwhile, are still developing the depth, physicality, tactical maturity and wider football structure required to compete consistently at that level.

“This level is too much of a big step up for us at this present time,” Butler said. 

This level is too much of a big step up for us at this present time.

“I emphasise presently. We don't have the infrastructure. To compete at this level, you need many, many things.”

There were also individual lessons from the South Korea match. Some players Butler expected to make an impact did not, while others surprised him with their performances.

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“One or two players that I expected to make an impact today didn't, and one or two players that did make an impact, I didn't expect to be as dominant as they were,” he said.

“So it's a little bit of horses for courses.”

That is where Butler sees the contradiction in Bangladesh's recent rise.

We're not good enough to compete at this level. That's very apparent, especially against teams of the quality of North and South Korea.

“We've been a victim of our own success,” Butler said. “We're not good enough to compete at this level. That's very apparent, especially against teams of the quality of North and South Korea.”

There is no shame, Butler stressed, in losing to teams with such a substantial head start.

“They've been at this a long time,” he said. “They've been to the Olympics, Asian Cups, and Asian Games.”

The immediate task, however, is no longer against one of Asia's powerhouses. Bangladesh face Myanmar in their final Group F match on Monday, with Butler expecting a different test from Colin Bell's side, who have already lost 5-0 to South Korea.

“I'm sure they'll be no pushovers,” Butler said. “They'll be a good side, well-organised by Colin Bell, I've got no doubt about it.”

“We lick our wounds, dust ourselves down, and go again,” he concluded.