PETALING JAYA: The new Malaysian football coach, who is likely to be named next week, will be thrown straight into the deep end.
His first task will be to take the nation into the Asian Cup for the second time in a row, but that will be no easy task.
Malaysia, ranked 132nd in the world, have been placed in Group F with Vietnam (116th) as their toughest opponent in the group. The other two teams are Nepal (176th) and Laos (186th).
Only the team that finish top in the group will qualify for the Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia.
The draw for the third-round qualifiers was held at the AFC Headquarters in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
Vietnam have been Malaysia’s bogey team for more than 10 years, with Harimau Malaya’s last win coming in the AFF Cup 2014, where they prevailed 4-2.
In their last encounter two years ago, Malaysia were beaten 0-3 in the AFF Cup.
In the second-round of the qualifiers, Malaysia finished third in Group D with 10 points, behind first-placed Oman (13 points) and second-placed Kyrgyzstan (11 points).
Eighteen teams including hosts Saudi Arabia have booked their spots for the 2027 edition, with only six more spots left to fill.
Malaysia have played in the Asian Cup four times, the latest in Qatar earlier this year where they bowed out in the group stages but captivated the nation by holding giants South Korea 3-3 in the final group game.
Changes to the national setup will be announced next week, with hints being dropped by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on social media.
He tweeted saying that the team’s system and philosophy will be based on the players the nation has right now and hinted that more naturalisations could be in the offing.
“The team will be more compact, will attack and defend as a unit. Discipline is the key,” said Tunku Ismail.
“Bergson (Da Silva) can be naturalised as a short-term measure after completing five years in Malaysia.
“(Manuel) Hidalgo too for the long-term, and the other players as well. JDT players are ready too.“The new coach and sporting director are collecting data of Malaysian players in the Super League and also those overseas. It is not going to be easy.
“It needs time, but it has to start now, including development frameworks for long-term. All the best.”
There is a lot of talk that Australian football legend Tim Cahill could oversee the national team project as technical director or chief executive officer (CEO).
As for the head coach, many names have been bandied about, including former JDT coach Esteban Solari, but the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have been coy about it.
Interim coach Pau Marti Vicente has confirmed that he is leaving after the ongoing AFF Cup due to the restructuring.
