Malaysian coach demands better attitude and character from players

GAME ON!

National coach K. Rajagobal used the two words to sum up Malaysia's chances of bouncing back from Saturday's 5-3 loss to Singapore in the second leg on Thursday.

An amazing glut of goals in the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium has left this Asian Zone World Cup qualifier poised for another roller-coaster ride.

Malaysia need only a 2-0 win in Bukit Jalil to go through on away goals but it is unlikely to happen as both teams are likely to tear each other's leaky defence apart.

The national team are going through a bad patch as Saturday's loss is their fourth straight defeat and in three matches, they have let in 14 goals and scored only eight times.

Rajagobal wants an immediate turnaround in attitude and character from his players ahead of the return leg.

"My defenders looked like they were hypnotised (Saturday). They must step up. If they don't, I may have to scout for new players soon," said Rajagobal yesterday.

"But credit to Singapore who played well. We paid the price for conceding sloppy goals.
"However, I am confident my boys will play with more confidence and composure in front of 80,000 fans at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil."

Malaysia's backline, marshalled by Mohd Fadhli Shas and Muslim Ahmad in the centre together with Mahalli Jasuli and Asraruddin Putra Omar on the right and left respectively, failed to contain the Singapore players throughout the match.

Fadhli and Muslim were both blamed for allowing Singapore to score three easy goals.

"I expected a better performance from my young defenders as they have the experience. Their erratic show proves that they have failed to progress in terms of tactical awareness from last December's AFF Cup," said Rajagobal, adding that he has few options in defence as former national captain Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak is down with an ankle problem.

A disappointed Fadhli said he and his teammates are having problems in communicating with each other during games.

"Our relationship is great but when it comes to football, somehow, it breaks down. We tend to lose concentration and coordination in front of a large crowd.

"We failed to contain the Singapore strikers in the first half and thus conceded easy goals. But we were wiser and stronger after the breather," said Fadhli, who has vowed to stop Singapore from scoring in the return leg.

Fadhli's assurance is a huge relief to Rajagobal, who needs him to be at his best on Thursday.

Rajagobal hopes to motivate his players by reminding them of their exploits in the AFF Cup.

"Football is a crazy game. We silenced our critics by bouncing back from a 5-1 defeat to Indonesia to win the AFF Cup.

"If we have done it once, we definitely can do it again," added Rajagobal.

After watching his team go down to sloppy goals, Rajagobal refused to give them a break from training, upon arriving in KL. They reported for light training at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday.