Fly high: Negri Sembilan’s Mohd Zamri Pin Ramli (right) trying to challenge Perak’s Mohd Aiman Khairul Yusni for the ball during their match. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: It was Perak’s first clean sheet in a Super League match but despite the 1-0 away win over Negri Sembilan, coach Yusri Che Lah is pensive.
While happy that they came out unscathed against Negri, he felt the performance was a cause for concern with many tough fixtures lined up over the next five weeks.
His team, he said, need to play consistently like they have been doing in the Malaysia Cup competition where they have reached the semi-finals.
The fact that Negri only started with two imports – French defender Herold Goulon and Brazilian striker Casagrande – was a reminder that Perak may struggle when they face the top teams in the league.
They will play star-studded Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the first leg of the Malaysia Cup at the Perak Stadium on Oct 19 and the away match on Nov 2.
In the Super League, they face Kelantan at home on Oct 28 and Sabah on Dec 2 while the crucial away matches will be against second-placed Selangor on Nov 25 and Dec 17.
“We managed to get our first clean sheet in the Super League and also hung on to win against Negri but I’m little worried about the performance,” said Yusri.
“Negri have only three imports and two of them played yesterday but we still struggled. We will need to put up more consistent performances against stronger teams. We are still not in a safe position in the league,” he said.
Although Perak, with 19 points from 22 matches, look safe in 11th position, they will need one more win from their remaining four matches to avoid relegation.
“The Malaysia Cup is very crucial and we need to have our best players. This is why I left Wan Zack (Wan Haikal) out. We need him fit for JDT.
“I also decided to give goalkeeper Farhan (Abdul Majid) his first league action and he did well and the defenders had a good match.
“We will be using the break over the next two weeks to prepare for the Malaysia Cup and also to ensure our place in the Super League.
The bottom two teams from the Super League will be relegated while the top two from the M3 league will be promoted.
Kuching City, who are at the bottom of the league with seven points from 21 matches, and Kelantan, occupying second last position out of 14 teams, with eight points from 21 matches, look to be the relegation candidates this season.
