Ex-national team assistant coach Mohd Zaki Sheikh Ahmad believes that Datuk Ong Kim Swee needs to be given the necessary time and space to develop a team that fits his tactical ideas.
OKS has been under intense pressure over the last one week, after Malaysia battled out a 0-0 draw against Asian minnows, Macau. But Zaki claims that it’s unfair to pin the blame on OKS alone.
“Patience is key because it takes time to build a team. He knows what has to be done. We cannot constantly change a head coach whenever the team loses,” Zaki said as quoted by Sinar Harian.
“The friendly match was set up to allow OKS to test his players. This is the time for trial and error. Give him more time. After all, he is just getting started.”
WHAT DO WE THINK?
What Zaki Ahmad said was right. Ong Kim Swee should be given more time because it has only been two matches. His team performed valiantly against a strong Saudi Arabia side in Jeddah before failing to impress against a 195th-ranked Macau at home last week. The first two matches allowed Ong Kim Swee to assess his players so he can move forward from there. OKS has proved to be successful during his tenure as the Under 23 head coach after guiding them to a SEA Games gold medal in 2011 as well as the Merderka Tournament in 2013. OKS’ next task is the AFF Suzuki Cup at the end of the year and he needs to have the full backing of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the country to take this team to the next level.
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