Johor DT head coach Bojan Hodak believes that it’s no longer about tactics or beautiful football when it comes to the final stage of a cup competition.
The Southern Tigers are currently preparing to take on Pahang in the final of the Malaysia Cup this weekend, and according to Bojan, both sides will just be doing their level best to win the game at any cost; simply because nobody remembers who came in second.
“This is a game that you wouldn’t want to pay too much attention to tactics,” Bojan told FourthOfficial.com in an exclusive interview.
“You just want to go out and win the game, no matter what it takes. Nobody remembers if you played well in the group stages, or quarter finals. Only the winners get recognized and remembered.
“It will be a tough game nonetheless, probably even decided via individual brilliance or individual mistake. It wouldn’t be the nicest match to watch either, because players usually don’t want to risk too much.
Both Pahang and Johor DT have already notched up one silverware this season. The Southern Tigers emerged as the Super League champions, while Pahang triumphed in the FA Cup final earlier this year. Zainal Abidin has already said that he will be expecting his boys to go out there and claim the scalp of Johor DT, and Bojan is definitely wary of the threat possessed by the Elephants.
“Pahang have plenty of attacking talent on their side. Dickson with his strength and skills will create plenty of openings and chances. Matias Conti is excellent when it comes to finishing. Gopinathan and Alex are equally dangerous with their pace.
“All these players will be able to cause problems for us. But at the same time, they will have to deal with Lucho, Jorge Diaz and even MatYo.”
Though every other element is on track as far as the final is concerned, the pitch condition at the Bukit Jalil Stadium is something that Bojan is inherently worried about.
“I’ve not seen the pitch yet, but my officials sent me the pictures yesterday, and they also said that the condition is relatively poor. That will be a problem for us, because we are a team that plays passing football. We’ll see.”
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