The Irfan Fazail conundrum
The decision to play Irfan Fazail against Cambodia was odd, but completely understandable. The ex-Harimau Muda prodigy hasn’t really impressed over the last few months, but they were up against a Cambodian side that were visibly underdogs, heading into the fixture. Knowing that they need three full points, OKS opted to not have a defensive midfielder, and instead went with a traditional 4-4-2, allowing Irfan and Baddrol to work together in midfield. Unfortunately, the lack of steel continuously threatened to bite them back throughout the 90 minutes. Irfan is certainly not a defensive-minded player, nor is he at his best, offensive-wise. The next two games against Vietnam and Myanmar will be significantly trickier – especially the former. With players like Le Cong Vinh and Luong Xuan Truong more than ready to run riot, Datuk Ong Kim Swee can’t afford to not play a defensive midfielder to form that elusive protective membrane over Shahrom Kalam and Co. Question is, will he drop Irfan?
Shahrul Saad vs Fadhli Shas
We’ve always known Shahrul to be dependable at the back, but for some odd reason, he doesn’t seem to be able to strike a partnership with Shahrom Kalam at the back. Individually, both men are excellent centre-backs, but they don’t seem to be working as a unit – as depicted against Cambodia on numerous occasions. But the Selangor skipper is comparatively a better bet. Dealing with Shahrul isn’t a big deal for OKS – he can always switch him into defensive midfield, where he has looked impressive for Malaysia in recent months. The bigger headache for OKS is with regards to replacing Shahrul at the heart of his defence. Khairul Helmi has the experience and leadership quality, but some would say he’s too identical to Shahrom. On the other hand, you have Fadhli Shas – a player once touted to be the future of Malaysia’s defence. But a number of factors, including lack of competitive action at club level, seem to have taken a toll on his confidence. That said, there are no questions about Fadhli’s technical ability. This is a guy who has played under some of the most intense atmospheres for Harimau Muda, JDT as well as the national team. Would you go for him? Or would you retain Shahrul Saad?
Baddrol needs to push higher
Even this ties very closely to the discussion around Irfan Fazail’s presence in the starting eleven. In the absence of a dedicated defensive midfielder, Baddrol was forced to adopt a more conservative style of play last night, which stopped him from being a creative playmaker. As a result, the likes of Hazwan and Darren Lok struggled to make an impact as the distance between them and Malaysia’s midfield duo was too much – exactly what Scott Ollerenshaw preached against in his op-ed last week. While it affects Malaysia’s ability to create chances, it also prevents Baddrol from completely turning on the style – like he did for Kedah throughout 2016. Having said that, Baddrol will only be able to push higher, if OKS opts to utilize S. Veenod or Shahrul Saad on Wednesday. The ball is now in OKS’ court.
Are there any other points of contention from Malaysia’s win over Cambodia? Let us know by commenting below!
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