A tad too conservative
As brave as Malaysia’s second-half performance may have been, they were incredibly conservative in the first-half, which is quickly becoming a hallmark of Datuk Ong Kim Swee’s reign as national team boss. It’s completely fair, if the Tigers parked the bus against significantly superior opponents – like they did against Saudi Arabia and UAE (1-2 defeat). But against sides that aren’t too far away from us in terms of quality, OKS has got to get his men to up the tempo and go for the jugular.
As soon as OKS switched his approach in the second half, the difference was evident almost instantly. Afghanistan were forced to drop deeper and as a result, Malaysia had a bit more freedom, whenever they regained possession. When we attacked UAE on home turf last November, we got a goal against them. The Tigers put three past Timor Leste in June, as a result of their relentless pursuit of victory. You may or may not enjoy watching Mamma Mia live. But you wouldn’t know, unless you buy a ticket, would you?
Had-IN, definitely
It has not been an easy year for Hadin Azman, with all the controversies he has had to deal with. But from the first time we spoke to the Felda United lad earlier this year, it was obvious that he had plenty of desire in him. “I do think that I will make the Suzuki Cup squad at the end of the year. My confidence has not dropped at all and it will never drop until I make the national squad,” he told us back in March, despite being kept out of the national squad.
Seven months later, he has moved multiple steps closer to his dream. After last night’s performance, you wouldn’t bet against him being in OKS’ long-term plans for Malaysia, leave alone the Suzuki Cup. A large chunk of Malaysia’s offensive forays last night was constructed via Hadin Azman’s pace and precision on the flank. Most importantly though, Hadin has the desire to attack and run at defenders. Think about how difficult it is to find Malaysian players of that mould.
Shahrul Saad could be Malaysia’s Eric Dier
Football tactics can sometimes be arbitrary, but there are certain core principles that usually shape or define a particular playing style. OKS doesn’t seem to have a specific system, but he loves a structural balance in midfield. For every Safiq Rahim, he must insert a Brendan Gan. For every Gurusamy, there used to be a Muslim Ahmad. For every Irfan Fazail, there was always a Gary Steven Robbat. Safiq’s retirement was a huge blow, but Ong had a natural replacement in Baddrol Bakthiar. The bigger blow arrived when Brendan was ruled out – though it appears that OKS may have found a solution.
Last night, Shahrul Saad was tasked with being Malaysia’s defensive pivot in midfield – a job he executed very well. By nature, Shahrul is a centre-back, which explains his less-than-impressive ball distribution. However, he compensates for it by forming a protective membrane over Malaysia’s centre-backs. Shahrul is never afraid to get the tackles flying – accurately as well, I should add – and just like Eric Dier, he is always calm and composed on the ball. If Mauricio Pocchettino is able to reap the best out of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen by having Dier sit deep, perhaps OKS can do the same with Baddrol Bakthiar and Shahrul Saad?
Scoring goals seems to be the over-arching problem
Honestly, we have no idea. Amri Yahya will most likely lead Malaysia’s offensive department, but he was never a prolific goal scorer, was he? Safee Sali is past his best. Darren Lok looks out of depth or probably needs time to get his mojo flowing. Norshahrul is no longer the player he used to be. Fazrul Hazli is definitely not up to the standards of international football. As it stands, Hazwan Bakri remains our best bet, alongside Amri and maybe Norshahrul, who showed glimpses of how effective he can be as a support striker. But that’s the problem, all these names are support strikers. With the exception of the out-of-form Safee Sali, we don’t have a target man to depend on for goals.
One way to deal with the matter is getting the flankers and midfielders to contribute. Players like Hadin Azman and Hazwan Bakri can be lethal from the flanks, if they’re given the space and time to act. Alternatively, Ong could go radical by getting youngsters like S. Kumaahran to lead the line, though their lack of experience could come back to haunt them. Or we could depend on the old-guards like Norshahrul and see if he’s able to recapture the form that once made him one of the most feared strikers in the country. Either way, Ong has a lot to think about, over the next two weeks.
We need to stand behind Fadhli Shas
Given the influence that English football (and tabloids) have in Malaysia, it’s increasingly ‘trendy’ to jump on a bandwagon and criticize a player, like they do in England. But footballers are human beings too and they too have this thing called ‘confidence’. Yes, he’s been poor all year long, and it’s due in no small part to the fact that he isn’t getting regular game time with Johor DT. Does it mean he’s done and dusted? No. Fadhli is only 25 years-old and bear in mind that he was once touted to be the best young defenders in Malaysia. It’s equally easy to forget that Fadhli has played in some huge games before, like the SEA Games final in 2011, under an intense atmosphere at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium.
Despite the barrage of brickbats he has received this year, Fadhli showed tremendous improvement last night, forming a strong partnership with Shahrom Kalam at the heart of Malaysia’s defence. More importantly, he was assured on and off the ball, like the Fadhli Shas that was once so highly-rated within the country. So perhaps, we could try being like the Welsh and actively stand behind players like Fadhli Shas, who never fails to give his best every time he gets on the pitch. Because sometimes, all it takes to revive a player, is a little bit of support and confidence. Ask Safiq Rahim, he’ll tell you all about it.
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