Malaysian national team head coach Dollah Salleh claims that he will be altering his squad to incorporate more youth players in upcoming national team games, despite the huge success of veterans at the AFF Suzuki Cup.
Plenty of eyebrows were initially raised when Dollah opted to call-up several veteran players in the form of Shukor Adan and Indra Putra, but these individuals went on to be a pivotal part of the Malaysian side that eventually made it to the final, where they lost to Thailand on an aggregate score of 4-3.
But despite their influential role being a breath of fresh air, Dollah still believes that more youth talents need to be synched into the squad, though several experienced players will remain within the side, to provide valuable guidance for the younger ones.
Speaking in the post match press conference last night, Dollah said: “I only had one month for preparation, which is definitely undesirable. That is precisely why I picked more senior players for this particular squad.
“But in future, I will probably select a higher number of young players within the team, though I will still need the senior players to guide the youngsters in the side.”
Despite losing the first leg 2-0, Malaysia raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half, before making it 3-0 just before the hour’s mark. However, Thailand continued pressing, and they eventually dismantled the Malayan Tigers by netting two goals in the last 10 minutes to seize the crown. Dollah though, thinks that the turnaround took place right after Indra and Afif exited the game due to injuries.
“I’d definitely like to congratulate my players, who did extremely well on the pitch today. We almost won, but Thailand were better than us from the 70th minute onwards.
“I think Indra Putra and Afif Amiruddin (being subbed off) made a huge difference. After they went out, things collapsed immediately,” he added.
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