With the recent defeat of the Malaysia national football team to neighbor Indonesia, the wait continues for the fans of Harimau Malaysia to witness a truly convincing performance by their beloved team on this calendar year. Much was expected from head coach Ong Kim Swee and his boys, yet they flattered to deceive yet again. Below are the 5 key talking points from the match:
Wrong team selection
Looking at the first eleven who started the match last night, half of them are merely substitutes or ‘squad players’ with their club side. Even the skipper of the night, Amri Yahya is not a regular starter for his club, JDT. Nerves were clearly seen in the eyes of the players as they lacked the match sharpness and mental strength to take control of the match from the start. They did improve as the match progressed, but the early damage was already done.
Reputation took over current form
When the squad for this international friendly was announced last week, there was a gasp of disbelief as many of coach Ong Kim Swee’s previous charges from the Harimau Muda setup was named. However, truth be told, Wan Zack Haikal and Irfan Fazail are nowhere near the level which they were during the successful SEA Games campaign. Many on-form players in the league this season, mainly from Felda United were overlooked as the coach decided to retain his faith on his ‘favourite’ charges.
A new skipper is needed
When Safiq Rahim announced his international retirement, the impact was not just limited to the team’s engine room, the loss is also being felt in terms of the leadership in the side. As experienced and decorated Amri Yahya is, the general feeling is that he does not have the necessary leadership attributes to guide the team. Also, in my personal opinion, a skipper must be positioned in an area where he has an overall view of the team’s organization. Therefore, the armband should be handed over to a center back or a central midfielder (Safiq Rahim’s position) where they will be able to dictate the match in a much fruitful manner.
Tactics, tactics, tactics
Looking at the game play last night, it was abundantly clear the team lacked a game plan. Hopeless long balls were being hit by the defenders while the forwards were not making the necessary runs, expecting the ball to arrive at their feet. The coach has to identify his preferred tactics first and foremost before sourcing for the right players. However, over here we are witnessing a scenario where the players are identified first and then the tactics is sourced upon. This leads the players to being not able to adopt to the tactical changes.
Substitutions were spot on
The one positive outcome from this match would have been the performances of the Malaysia substitutes who came on at half time. Shahrul Saad was excellent at center back for the 45 minutes in which he was involved while the other forwards who came on were lively and constantly looking to cause some damage to the Indonesian defense. Maybe with these performances, the substitutes may be entitled for more game time in their next outing.
