KUALA NERUS: National team head coach Kim Pan Gon said the approach to winning a game is more important than playing a beautiful game ahead of their Tier 1 international friendly against the Solomon Islands at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, here, tomorrow.
With the Harimau Malaya preparing for a tough challenge in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Finals in Qatar next January, he feels that the players need to get used to the various ways of winning matches, including grinding out results, against teams who adopt different tactics.
The South Korean coach said, as such, the team’s playing style may differ from that expected of by the fans and the media.
“We have a clear goal, especially ahead of the Asian Cup. All our opponents are very strong and we can’t play a beautiful and ‘charming’ game every match, but we must be smart and effective to look for a win, so the approach to winning is more important.
“I know some expect to see (us playing a) beautiful and ‘charming’ game, but sometimes we can’t play that way against a strong team,” he told the pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Tier 1 international friendly against the Solomon Islands at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, which is Super League Terengganu FC’s home ground.
This will be the first meeting between world number 138 Malaysia and world number 134 Solomon Islands.
“Hopefully, we can give the fans the win they crave but, in football, you never know. We will try our best to keep winning at home as we also want to turn our home ground into a fortress. Whoever comes here, we want to beat them – this is the team culture we want to build,” Pan Gon said.
He also said that the return of Negeri Sembilan FC striker Muhammad Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi to the national squad would give him additional options in attack.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to have another player to experiment with. I’m excited (because) if he does well, maybe we will have another weapon,” he said, adding almost all of his players are fit to play tomorrow.
Meanwhile, defender Matthew Davies believes that they can beat the Solomon Islands if all of them play according to the tactics drawn up by the coach.
However, the 28-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player admitted that the Solomon Islands are not to be underestimated.
“If we follow the tactics provided, I think we will win but, more importantly right now, is the process. At the same time, we can’t underestimate them.
“I think we are at a level now where we are expected to win every game,” he said. – BERNAMA
