Malaysian fans will recall the time when an amateur national team stunned professional club Arsenal 2-0 in 1975 but M. Karathu feels it is unfair to compare the current crop of national players to that glorious era.
While few Malaysian footballers possess the skills of the legendary Mokhtar Dahari, scorer of both goals in that famous win at Merdeka Stadium, Karathu said the present national team should be allowed to progress in their own steam.
Playing against leading English clubs is one way of getting Malaysian players exposed to high level football as the matches against Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are in that calibre.
"It is a good opportunity for the players to be exposed to the type of football played by professional clubs. In fact, it is possible for Malaysia to even win as these clubs are only just starting their season," said Karathu before Malaysia and Arsenal kicked off at the National Stadium yesterday.
National coach K. Rajagobal sprang a few surprises in his starting line-up opting to give goalkeeper Nasril Nourdin and striker Ahmad Fakri Saarani, their starts.
The rest of the first XI were the same players who featured against Taiwan in the World Cup qualifying first round second leg on July 3.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger included young Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi and new signing Carl Jenkinson in his starting line-up while also giving the likes of Thomas Vermaelen, who skippered the side in Cesc Fabregas' absence, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Marouane Chamakh game time from the start.
However, Samir Nasri, who has been linked with news that he would leave the club, started on the bench alongside Robin Van Persie, Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin.
An estimated crowd of 65,000 attended the match to watch Arsenal's first game in Kuala Lumpur in 12 years.
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