Selangor coach praises midfielder for performance against Perak

Selangor coach Irfan Bakti has hailed the performance of holding midfielder K. Gurusamy in the 1-0 win over Perak on Saturday.

Selangor skipper Amri Yahyah hogged the limelight with a commanding display, leading the Red Giants’ attack and creating the chance for Mohd Safiq Rahim to convert.

However, Irfan believes national Under-23 midfielder Gurusamy was the unsung hero of the team. 

“You don’t see Claude Makelele or Michael Essien making the headlines, but they are the players who do the hard work for the team. Gurusamy is our player in that mould,” said Irfan, who took over the reins this season. 

“You don’t see flashy moves from Gurusamy but he is the one who works the hardest in midfield. He shields our defence and breaks attacks. For me, he was the man of the match.” 

Irfan said complacency crept into the team towards the end of the match as Perak redoubled their efforts for the equaliser. 

“I’m happy that we managed to collect full points. We deserved it as we played well,” said Irfan. 

“The players grew complacent towards the end of the match and played too many short passes in our own half. It put unnecessary pressure on our defence. 

“Ramez (Dayoub) has strengtened our defence with his physical presence. He’s an experienced player and managed to contain the Perak strikers well.” 

Selangor were dogged by the same old problem of not being able to make their dominance count. They again created plenty of chances but were let down by poor finishing. 

“We should have scored more goals but we just couldn’t convert our chances. I hope we don’t repeat these mistakes in our next match,” said Irfan. 

With Congolese striker Lelo Mbele still recovering from a thigh injury and super-sub S. Surendran trying to rediscover his form, Selangor were not convincing up front. 

However, FA of Malaysia’s decision to extend the foreign player registration to Feb 13 will open the opportunity for Selangor to consider a new import to bolster the attack.