Lack of teamwork affects Terengganu

Lack of teamwork led to Terengganu’s downfall in the east coast derby against Kelantan at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Saturday.

National striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha fired the Red Warriors ahead in the 37th minute before skipper Mohd Badhri Radzi added a second in the 52nd. Substitute Abdul Manaf Mamat pulled one back for the Turtles in the 91st minute.

Terengganu coach Mat Zan Mat Aris conceded that players in every position, from defence to attack, were disappointing as they could not gel in the 1-2 defeat.

“We left a lot of space in midfield and literally let our opponents attack us.

Kelantan exploited the extra space and got two valuable goals before we scored late in the game,” said Mat Zan.

He said every player should play their part but sadly coordination and cohesiveness were missing.

“We let ourselves and the fans down. I had expected a better display from a team who who finished second in the league last season,” he said.

The loss enabled Kelantan to top the standings as previous leaders Perak fell 2-0 to T-Team. Terengganu are third. Mat Zan pointed to the lack of a playmaker as one of the main factors behind the team’s dismal display.

“We lack someone who makes telling passes for our strikers. I might look to Ismail Faruqi in future matches and see if he can take over this role.”

Mat Zan also warned players to be on their toes or face being benched. “It is back to the drawing board for us.

I want to see the hunger for glory from the players but right now I cannot see that.” Terengganu face Kedah at home tomorrow.