The Malaysia Super League is back! After what appeared to be a monumental hiatus, all the excitement and drama that we usually get from the country’s top league is already underway with Johor DT defeating Pahang to lift the Charity Shield last weekend. And if you thought last year was brilliant, be prepared to watch things escalate to a whole new level this year. With Johor DT pushing forward in their expansion plans, other teams trying to keep up and match the Southern Tigers, and the fiasco involving television rights for the league; there’s so much more to expect this year. That being said, FourthOfficial.com will be unleashing a series of club previews over the next five days and we’ll take a look at all the teams that will be strutting their stuff in the Super League this year. Next on the list is Sime Darby FC!
SIME DARBY FC
Manager: YAM Datuk Seri Tengku Ahmad Shah
Head Coach: Ismail Zakaria
SQUAD LIST
GOALKEEPERS: Kamarul Effandi, Redzuan Harun, Suffian Abdul Rahman
DEFENDERS: Juzaili Samion, Yosri Derma Raju, Prabakaran, Nasriq Yahya, Azmirul Azmi, Tengku Qayyum, Rafizi Hamdan, Alif Shamsuddin, Chairi Emmir, Ivan Dragicevic
MIDFIELDERS: Fahrul Razi, Dilshod Sharofetdinov, Eddy Helmi, Abdul Halim Zainal, Rafiq Shah Zaim, Shoufiq Kusaini, Hafiszuan Salehuddin, Khairul Anwar, Nur Areff, Dzulfahmi Abdul Hadi, Marko Perovic,
FORWARDS: Hadzirun Che Hamid, Firdaus Azizul, Nizad Ayub, Nazrul Kamaruzaman, Nemanja Vidakovic
STATS
Malaysia Super League: 5th
Malaysia FA Cup: 2nd Round
Malaysia Cup: Group Stages
ANALYSIS
Sime Darby is another club side that caused plenty of upsets in the Super League last year, by finishing fifth on the table. They had a decent squad as well last year, with the likes of Failee Ghazali, Shafiq Jamal and even Izuan Salahuddin. But the obvious star was none other than Dilshod Sharofetdinov, who ran the show from the heart of their midfield throughout the season. He was arguably one of the best foreign players in the MSL last season.
But a squad revamp took place over the last two months, and they now have a team that’s largely made up of talented youth players. But at the same time, they also have a foreign player with Champions League experience in the form of Marko Perovic. Eddy Helmi and Alif Shamsuddin were snapped up from Negeri Sembilan, while the seasoned Nizad Ayub also joined in from T-Team.
Ismail Zakaria will definitely be cautious this season. He knows that his squad isn’t exactly a stellar one, but at the same, he is a mastermind at forging and strengthening team chemistry. That, is precisely what Sime Darby need to go from the get go. On the offensive department, they hopes for goals will be pinned upon Nemanja Vidakovic and while he will have shot at proving himself, Sime Darby do not have a back up goalscorer to mitigate any harms should Vidakovic fire blanks. Nizad Ayub may be experienced but he is not a typical goalscorer.
That being said, Dilshod’s role in the middle could make a huge difference. If the Uzbekistan midfielder is able to channel quality through balls for the likes of Vidakovic and Nizad, then things could be far more positive than it seems at this point.
VERDICT: Strugglers
List of Club Previews:
1. Kelantan FA
2. Sarawak FA
3. PDRM FA
4. ATM FA
5. Perak FA
6. Terengganu FA
7. Selangor FA
8. LionsXII
9. Felda United
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