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 PDRM FA!
PDRM FA
Manager: Abdul Mubin Mokhtar
Head Coach: Azman Adnan
SQUAD LIST
GOALKEEPERS: Wilfried Anak Jabun, Saiful Amar, Badrulzaman Abdul Halim
DEFENDERS: Muslim Ahmad, V. Thirumurugan, Arman Fareez, Fekry Tajuddin, Fadhil Hashim, Afif Amiruddin, Onorionde Kughegbe, Eskandar Ismail
MIDFIELDERS: Ezrie Shafizie, Azrul Azman, Shahril Izwan, Alafi Mahmud, Shahurain Abu Samah, Asyidi Dil Ashar, Isma Alif, Nurul Azwan Roya, Faizal Abu Bakar, Fauzi Abdul Majid, Lot Abu Hassan, Mohamadou Sumareh
FORWARDS: Nizam Mohd Rodzi, Ali Ashfaq, Dramane Traore, Haziq Fikri, Khairul Izuan
2014 STATS
Malaysia Premier League League: Champions
Malaysia FA Cup: Quarter Final
Malaysia Cup: Quarter Final
ANALYSIS
Nobody really paid much attention to them prior to 2014, but after their sensational run in all competitions last year, PDRM are now a force to reckoned with. They clinched the Premier League title in style to secure promotion into the Super League, but at the same time, they also made the quarter finals of FA Cup as well as the Malaysia Cup. This, is a team that’s capable of causing massive upsets, to say the least.
And things should be much better this year. Besides retaining the spectacular Ali Ashfaq, who scored 17 goals for the last campaign, PDRM have also secured the signature of Nurul Azwan Roya, who comes in the pedigree of having represented Kelantan FA and Johor DT. His presence of the flank will be pivotal, to then bring out the best in their latest foreign acquisition, Dramana Traore.
With Azwan Roya, Shahurain Abu Samah, Ezrie Shafizie and Lot Abu Hassan all capable of manufacturing terrific ammunition from the middle of the park, Ali Ashfaq and Dramana Traore will be lethal. Better still, they’ve got Muslim Ahmad leading the line at the heart of their defence. So on paper, this squad has the recipe to do well. And in Azman Adnan, they have a man who has done it all as a player. The onus will now be on them to hit the ground running and maintain the tempo. If they manage to do that effectively, you’d want to be keeping an eye on this team.
VERDICT: Dark Horses
List of Club Previews:
1. Kelantan FA
2. Sarawak FA
3. Terengganu FA
4. ATM FA
5. Perak FA
6. Selangor FA
7. LionsXII
8. Felda United
9. Sime Darby
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