Not so long ago, I was a student in SMK Gunung Rapat – a secondary school in Ipoh that was widely recognized for its sporting prowess.
It was customary for the school’s football team to take to the pitch and train every evening, and a decent amount of students would gather around the seating areas to just watch them get through drills. And I remember watching Nurridzuan on one of those evenings.
Word was that, he was snapped up from a rival school to strengthen the our football team, and within 15 minutes of watching him, it made complete sense. He glowed exuberantly on the pitch, and commanded respect almost instantly.
For a teenage player, he was very calculative in his positioning on and off the ball, and despite it being a training session, his enthusiasm was top-notch. If you watch youngsters play football regularly, you’ll notice that it can be one-dimensional at times. If there was a wonderkid on the pitch, expect balls to be headed in his direction all the time. Nurridzuan was that kid.
So it’s not a surprise that he’s been absolutely brilliant for Perak this year. Besides scoring six times, he’s been involved in the build up for a considerable amount of goals they’ve scored this year – notwithstanding his impeccable free-kick expertise as well. He’s got the quality; most Malaysian football fans would tell you that this national call-up was long overdue. And now that it’s finally here, it could very well be a trumpcard for Dollah.
The Bangladesh friendly is crucial, but the real deal gets underway against UAE and Saudi Arabia. With one point, from their first two games, you’d expect the pressure on Dollah to be massive. But it’s no longer about winning is it? After the 6-0 defeat to Palestine, it would take an eternal optimist to hope for a major win over two major sides from the Middle East.
Of course, nothing is impossible in football and all that jazz – but right now, the rhetoric that would be at the forefront of Dollah’s mind is ‘avoiding defeat’. But doing that requires a team to play to their strength carefully. Dollah has already been handed a blow, with Norshahrul being ruled out through injury. A few months ago, that would have been brushed aside. But the ex-Kelantan forward seemed to have rediscovered his form with Terengganu, and his work rate is second to none.
It’ll be incredibly idealistic to expect Dollah to line-up with two forwards against both sides. They’ve got to be compact in the middle of the park, and be able to push forward efficiently, at every opportunity. A 4-5-1 would be feasible. It’s a system that is conservative in nature, but possesses enough dynamism on convert into being aggressive when needed. And guess what? Nurridzuan will fit in perfectly.
Ever wondered why Perak have been able to survive elegantly in the Super League, despite a mass exodus of star players in 2013? They banked on the golden generation of youth players coming through their President Cup squad.
Nurridzuan was part of a fantastic Perak U21 squad in 2012 – one that clinched the President’s Cup in style by only losing two games all season. His role was pivotal as well. Under the guidance of Abu Bakar Fadzim, the young Seladangs were incredibly disciplined in their performance. They were barely skillful, but they were effective – a trait that embodies Nurridzuan.
He doesn’t do stepovers, nor does he attempts flashy movements on the pitch. But he’s quick, he’s direct and he has an eye for goal. His efficacy though, lied in his ability to adopt an instruction and execute his role within a system. He tracks back consistently and doesn’t need to be reminded of his defensive duties. The willingness to drop back is one that can be rare in attacking-minded players, but Nurridzuan is the exact opposite.
UAE and Saudi Arabia – You know they’ll dictate possession on the day. They will create chances after chances and the pressure will be enormous. Attacking minded players like Wan Zack Haikal bring their own benefits, but you’d agree that they don’t entirely fit into a conservative approach. Nurridzuan on the other hand, offers them that unique outlet of having a balanced approach on the flanks.
Is he up for it though? He’s not a player that gets fazed by challenges. He was captain of the U21 squad that lifted the President’s Cup in 2012, got drafted into the Harimau Muda A set-up, before eventually rejoining Perak this year. He’s played in some of the biggest grounds in Malaysia, coped with the pressure that comes with hostile atmospheres and at the age of 23, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to suggest that he’s already a leader within the Perak dressing room.
The World Cup Qualifiers is an entire different platform though; I will concede that. But considering we’ve been slammed for our predictable tactics in previous games, maybe it’s time to adopt a radical switch as well. There’s nothing wrong with conservative football and there’s certainly nothing wrong with giving young players a chance, especially if it comes across as a sensible option.
The ultimate decision lies with Dollah, but Nurridzuan is undoubtedly a wildcard I’d go with. Then again, that’s just me. 😉
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