Malaysian junior hockey coach Arul Selvaraj has urged his men to up their tempo and live up to their price tag of being favourites, when they face Japan later today.
Japan have beaten the Malaysian juniors on three separate occassions this year, and while that may give them a slight confidence edge, Arul remains defiant that his men have the upper hand.
“Half the players in my current team did not play against Japan in the matches that we lost to them. The three defeats doesn’t bother me at all,” he told Harian Metro.
“The current team is a lot better and is a lot more matured. We’re one of the major favourites in this tournament, so we have to provide it and behave like we are favourites as well,” he added.
Malaysia only needs a draw to finish as runners-up in Group A, which will grant them a more favourable draw in the quarters of the Junior Asia Cup.
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