PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) Colombian striker Jorge Obregon’s strike rate so far is no way near his teammate Bergson Da Silva but many are puzzled over why he has been a regular starter ahead of the Brazilian in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) competition.
Consider the stats. Since joining the Southern Tigers on Aug 28, Obregon has featured in eight matches but has scored only four goals.
In the ACLE, the 27-year-old Obregon started all four games, but has only scored once.
In the 3-0 win over Ulsan HD on Tuesday, he only played for 53 minutes before Da Silva was brought on and he went on to score the third goal in the 88th minute.
Da Silva, 33, has been JDT’s top marksman this season, scoring 20 goals in all competitions. But in the ACLE, he has only been used as a substitute and has played a total of 96 minutes over four games.
As questions arise over JDT coach Hector Bidoglio’s preference for Obregon over the prolific Da Silva, the Venezuelan has a sound explanation.
He said the somewhat odd arrangement is a tactical one.
“Obregon is a fine player who does well with hold-up plays and helps a lot with our high pressing. Bergson also does that, but both these players have different characteristics,” said Bidoglio.
“Both are strikers but they have a different way of functioning upfront, which I utilise based on my tactics.
“I like to have players with lots of quality.
‘‘Not only Obregon and Bergson, but I also like Romel (Morales), who brings his own quality upfront.
“On top of that, I also have attackers like Arif (Aiman Hanapi) and Heberty (Fernandes).”
With such a wide array of attacking talent, some would think it could be a disruptive force in the dressing room but Bidoglio said that it was not an issue.
“I have great players at my disposal, but they always put the team first.”
JDT will take on Perak in the Super League at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday. The match had been postponed twice.
