There’s always drama.
Malaysian football is never exempted from sheer drama, but there’s always that tendency for it to multiply during the Malaysia Cup. After all, it’s the oldest cup competition in Asia – its’ novelty is absolutely indubitable.
Penang’s victory over Pahang showed both the best and the worst things about Malaysian football. There’s no real gulf in quality when it comes Premier League teams and Super League teams, and it also showed that top teams aren’t exactly consistent, within this country.
We’ve not reached the halfway mark in the group stages, and things will only get trickier from here. But before it does, let’s take a break and shed light on the key things we’ve learned thus far.
RED HOT PENANG – Every Malaysian has a special spot for Penang. It’s always touted as a popular holiday destination and it’s also known as the food capital of Malaysia. Penangites speak in a unique Malay dialect as well, which makes them culturally very attractive. But from a football side of things, they are all set and ready to make their mark in the Super League next year. Besides securing promotion, the Panthers have been reaping benefits from a major rise in fan base, which directly contributed to the increase in support from the state government. Last night’s win over Pahang was an indication of what they will offer and by the looks of it, there’s one additional fiery ground for every Super League to battle through in 2016.
SORRY SIMUNIC – Major eyebrows were raised when Simunic was drafted in to replace Datuk M. Karathu and there were two main reasons for that. Firstly, Simunic was actually hired in 2014, before being ousted after reportedly losing control of the dressing room. So hiring him was akin to hiring an employee you sacked a couple of months ago. Secondly, Karathu was sacked, despite guiding a rather youthful team to their peak this season. And judging by Perak’s Malaysia Cup showing thus far, there’s nothing to shout about. They’ve lost twice and won once, scoring merely one goal in the process. Bear in mind that they’ve played twice at home so far. Performance-wise, they’ve been equally poor as well. Namkung looks a shade of himself and there’s barely any conviction in their attacking forays. Time to ring the changes Simunic, things aren’t looking too good.
LIONSXII’S ROAR – Fandi Ahmad was largely criticized during his tenure with JDT, but the Singaporean legend continues to show why he’s highly rated. With a youthful LionsXII squad, they’ve done relatively well this season, and judging by how things are going, they certainly look like massive favourites for the Malaysia Cup title. Let’s not forget that they clinched the FA Cup title this year – we’re talking about a team that has a knack of doing well in cup competitions. Their performance against Terengganu last night, was a clear reaffirmation of that fact. They are currently on top of Group A with seven points from their first three matches, and if they can keep this form, and continue dominating home games on the Jalan Besar turf, no one will undermine their ability to complete a double this year.
DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR KELANTAN – Just a couple of weeks back, Kelantan looked like they were on the verge of getting back to their best, with that 3-0 win over Selangor. Not too long after that, Tan Sri Annuar Musa even confirmed that the players would finally be getting paid as well (took them forever!). But then came the 1-1 draw against Felda, before they slumped to a 3-1 defeat against T-Team last night. Worse still, Norfarhan Muhammad, who has been pivotal for them, was stretchered off with an injury, that is now set to rule him out for weeks. He will most likely be unavailable for the rest of their Malaysia Cup campaign, which now leaves them with an arduous task of qualifying for the knockout stages. Not too long ago, this exact team was ripping through Malaysian football with conviction. Football, bloody hell.
LIRIDON MANIA – Choosing the best foreign player in Malaysia right now, is always a difficult task, but Kedah’s Liridon Krasniqi is certainly in the mix, if not the best. The MPL gets lesser coverage that it actually should, because Liridon is arguably one of the finest foreigners in Malaysia right now – something that wasn’t really propagated, considering that Kedah compete in the MPL. But a week ago, the Albanian footballer was put in the limelight, during Kedah’s clash against LionsXII, and he was gliding on the pitch, oozing past some of the players with such ease, that even the likes of Abbas Saad was left star-struck on the stands. And according to Kedah fans, he’s also a nice lad, and is extremely friendly with fans. It won’t be surprising if another club – be it from Malaysia, or abroad – jumps in with a bigger offer for him next year, but if the Canaries successfully hold on to him, they will be a real force in 2016.
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