Scorer; Khai
In the game where I strongly opine that the heat was overly scorching, many players succumbed to the treacherous weather especially in the closing stages.
Playing our second game in Yusof Ishak Secondary, we started off well by conjuring up some opportunities where finishing was suspect. Passes were linked up well but we lacked that finishing touch to put the ball into the net. We saw the need to maintain our winning run as a defeat is simply unfathomable. An incident in the first half saw Khai fuming as he was robbed off the ball as he was about to take the quick free kick. With the immense heat getting to his head, the frustration manifested itself and a certain vulgarity came out of his mouth involuntarily. It proved to be the start of 2 other incidents where he lost his cool and dished out unpleasant words.
He has since made a formal apology, both on FB and on the team's website for his inexcusable gestures. Ok, back to the game. Chances then became few and far between even though we had the lion's share of the possession. Indecisiveness at times proved to be our undoing and the opponents never really looked to threaten our formidable fortress at the back. Half time soon came and our gaffer gave us the hairdryer treatment (minus any flying boots) to wake us up. It was evident that some of the players were jaded and the pep talk did help us to get back into the game.
Second half started on the same note as the first and as we dominated possession, the opponents did carve out a chance or 2 but our Anwar Casillas was on hand to parry any shots that they took. Eventually, we got the elusive goal after 20 minutes of the restart. A long punt upfield from Zamri caught the defence napping and Khai was on hand to latch on to the loose ball. The searing Sun got into the eyes of the centreback making him misjudge the flight of the ball. Well done Zamri. Khai then duly entered the box before faking a shot and unleashing a fiery too-hot-to-handle left-footed shot. 1-0 to the good.
However, after that goal, things turned ugly and passes were astray and lack of spiritedness soon engulfed the team. Complacency set in and frustration got the better of some players which led to some shouts from Khai. In all honesty, he did that to shake the team up. Not to discourage, but to get everyone mentally back in the game as too much encouragement at times, will not help the cause. He did redeem himself by NOT even shouting AT ALL in the latest game against Bangkit. Before i digress further, the game wore on and in the end, things turned ugly in the lead up to a free-kick near the opponent's penalty area. I swear the decibels were raised to an all time-high with Zul Cina dominating the sidelines. At the same time, Yan was involved in a scrap and the heated event soon came to a close with Al-Caliph winning by the solitary goal. The game was marred by the unpleasant events during the game and the final team-talk was far from joyful.
However, looking on the bright side, apart from the 'flowery' language used, it was still a vital 3 points in the bag and a step closer to acquiring the champions trophy. Well done lads. On a more personal note, I really enjoy playing for this team and we have the potential to go far. Hence, if I do at times shout or scold you, I am sorry for it should only be in the game and not brought out of the field. Nothing should be taken personally and I hope that there is no underlying hatred towards me harvested in any of our players. Sorry Wan for having to tolerate such curt behaviour. You deserved the 100 bucks.
From a coach's point of view, we should be more confident in passing and the confidence has to come from the back 4. I am not saying that it is easy but it is something worth trying. Take today's 9-1 win for example, we started from the back. Passed around. Players get more confident and even the fullback were doing overlapping runs. 8 more games to go. Let's keep playing effective football (not elegant ok syah) and hopefully, we get the results we want.
by Khai