Brendan Gan
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia must take the initiative to take the game to their opponents if they are to have any chance of surviving the group stage of the Asian Cup Finals starting in Doha, Qatar, tomorrow.
Former national midfielder K. Nanthakumar said that if the Harimau Malaya can lead or hold their opponents in Group E in the first half, the pressure would be on the opposition and Malaysia can capitalise on that.
The Negri Sembilan assistant coach said the teams Malaysia are facing can be tough as they are ranked higher and have some players who play in top-quality leagues, especially in Europe.
In the Asian Cup, world No. 130 Malaysia are in Group E with Jordan (87), Bahrain (86) and South Korea (23).
Malaysia will take on Jordan in their first match at the Al-Janoub Stadium on Jan 15.
Jordan have winger Musa Al-Taamari, who plays for Montpellier in Ligue 1 (French first division), while Bahrain has striker Abdullah Yusuf Helal, who plays for Czech Republic club Mlada Boleslav.
South Korea have 13 players based in Europe with Tottenham Hotspur captain and winger Son Heung-min as the main star.
Nanthakumar said teams with European-based players have an advantage because they have the experience of playing in highly competitive environments.
“The advantage is on the rest of the teams because they have players playing in top quality leagues. As for our boys, they are mostly locally based except for some, who are playing in another South-East Asian leagues,” he said.
“The task in front of us will be tough, that’s for sure. But here is what I would say - If they can frustrate these teams in the first half, we have a chance.
“Imagine if the opposition don’t score, or we take the lead, the pressure would be on them. It’s that pressure we have to capitalise on if we want to have a successful outing in Doha.
“Our midfield has to play a good game too and I believe the inclusion of mixed heritage and naturalised players can aid that. I’m looking forward to seeing Brendan (Gan), Endrick (Dos Santos) and Paulo (Josue) do well.”
Nanthakumar, who played for Perak and Kelantan in the past, added that it was a good move to go to Doha early as the team can adapt to the weather and pitches as soon as possible.
Nanthakumar has experienced playing in the Asian Cup before when he featured in the 2007 edition hosted by Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Led by Norizan Bakar, Malaysia didn’t fare well in that edition as they lost all their games. They were thrashed 1-5 by China and 0-5 against Uzbekistan before losing to Iran 0-2.
