Mohd Amri Yahyah has returned to Selangor FA following a dismal spell at Melaka United.
However with his return, he comes into the team stacked with loads of attacking prowess. The question is: How will he fit into the current Selangor squad? Let’s assess the current situation.
Amri Yahyah’s Position
Amri Yahyah plays in the centre-midfield, winger, attacking midfielder and forward role as they are his strongest positions. In two of those roles though, he might have a hard time getting into the team. Head coach P. Maniam’s preferred formation is a 3-4-3 system and the formation does not accommodate the attacking midfield role unless Maniam shifts the system around.
Selangor also has a stack of wingers in their ranks with Victor Astafei, S. Veenod, Adam Nor Azlin and the returning Andik Vermansyah with Maniam also played attacking midfielder Juliano Mineiro in the wings as well. What would give Amri Yahyah the edge is his experience.
The 36-year old may no longer have the pace he once had but with the combination of him and Andik, they can help guide the young wingers of Adam Nor & Veenod and also help out the wingbacks of Raimi Md Nor & Syahmi Safari on the pitch. So a mentorship role can help the youngsters such as Badrul Amin Rusalan and K. Kannan in the long-term.
Alternatively, perhaps Amri Yahyah’s best bet to get back into the starting squad is a striker and a centre-midfeld role.
Why A Striker’s Role?
With Andik returning, it is thought Astafei or Mineiro will be leaving to accommodate the plucky Indonesian winger for their foreign player quota. But a police incident may see both of them stay.
Francis Forkey Doe was arrested on 6 May for possessing an unauthorized vehicle that has no license plate. According to ESPN FC, Forkey Doe’s spell at Selangor may come to an end as the issue came at a bad time with Selangor FA still trying to wrap up their financial problems.
Should Forkey Doe leave Selangor, a big gap will be left open. Adam Nor, Afiq Azmi and on-loan forward Nurshamil Abd Ghani would be left to task as the main forward, but both men have struggled to get it going. With so much uncertainty on the forward role, Amri Yahyah may be required to temporarily fill that role on a short-term basis.
How About The Centre-Midfield Position?
Another alternative is playing a centre-midfield role to help out Abdul Halim Zainal & Saiful Ridzuwan. Mineiro has also seen himself playing as a centre-midfielder since he joined.
Selangor’s midifield is not the best in the league this season as at times they are rather slow, but Amri Yahyah’s fluidity can bring pace in that midfield and bring about faster ball movement in the middle of the park.
Conclusion
Amri Yahyah is perhaps the short-term solution Selangor needs at the moment. His versatility provides Maniam lots of options on where to play him and afford the Selangor head coach the freedom to play around with the system on how to bring the best further out of his players.
Amri’s experience also counts as a bonus point with so many experienced players such as Shahrom Kalam & Azmi Muslim leaving before the start of the season thanks to off-the-pitch incidents.
However, his return to Selangor could bring a sense of awkwardness after he celebrated a goal against the Red Giants when he was at Johor Darul Takzim years ago. If the Selangor fans still remember that incident, then Amri Yahyah would have to win them back again.
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