Having been given the honour to coach the national football team, Nazri Nasir could not have asked for a more difficult opponent for his debut, one that could turn his dream job into a nightmare.
Facing arch-rivals Malaysia tonight in the AirMarine Cup at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, the former national captain is embracing the stress and strain of the fixture though.
"The pressure is like a pleasure," he told The Straits Times yesterday from Kuala Lumpur, sounding cheerful. "I am taking this game positively. I see it as a challenge and hope this can rub off on the players."
On March 7, the Football Association of Singapore announced Nazri as the caretaker coach, leading the Lions for this week's AirMarine Cup quadrangular, the team's first outing since last November's Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup.
Singapore will meet Malaysia tonight while Oman play Afghanistan on the same day.
The winners will contest the final on Saturday while the losers will play in the third-place play-off.
Since then, the 48-year-old coach managed to train the squad only twice. The first, a 90-minute session on Monday, focused on small-sided games and finishing.
The second, a one-hour session, was conducted yesterday evening to home in on tactics.
Apart from goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam, who is nursing a calf strain, the rest of the 22-strong squad have no injury problems.
The Lions are currently ranked 165th in the world by global football governing body Fifa while Malaysia are two rungs below.
But at the Suzuki Cup last year, it was the Tigers who performed better, reaching the final before losing 3-2 to Vietnam while the Lions crashed out at the group stage.
Tigers coach Tan Cheng Hoe told Malaysian media: "Their (the Malaysian players') spirits are high - that's good, but I want to make sure they adapt to the way we play.
"It is different from their clubs. Training sessions have been different for them, but they've adjusted.
"Playing against Singapore is not going to be easy. I've told the boys not to be emotional but just concentrate on the game."
And even though Malaysia have the home advantage and better recent form, Nazri can sense the determination coursing through the Singapore team ahead of the Causeway derby.
He said: "Even from one training session, I can see all players are eager to go. Guys like (Khairul) Amri, (Khairul) Nizam, Yasir (Hanapi), Gabriel (Quak) and Faris (Ramli) all looked very sharp. All players are hungry to be in the first XI.
"We are not going to sit and wait for Malaysia to attack us. We will pressure them from the start. Chances are very few at international games but when they appear, I want the players to be focused and take these chances.
"We are not expecting a draw. Malaysia will be a very tough opponent, this is a very big rivalry and both sides want to win. But I trust my players to deliver."
MALAYSIA V SINGAPORE
Singtel TV Ch111, 8.40pm
United will attack PSG, vows Solskjaer LONDON • Ole Gunnar Solskjaer further endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful after confirming Manchester United would stay true to their attacking ethos and not sit back ahead of the first leg of their Champions League last-16 meeting against Paris Saint-Germain today.
United will attack Spurs, vows Lingard | FourFourTwo
Eden Hazard hit the winning penalty for Chelsea to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday and reach the Europa League final where they will meet fellow Londoners Arsenal. The lively semi-final contest had finished 1-1 after the sides had produced the same scoreline in Frankfurt a week ago.
Chelsea reach Europa League final after penalty win
Unai Emery defended Shkodran Mustafi following the centre-back's mistake during Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace. The Gunners' top-four hopes were dealt a serious blow after goals from Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur sealed a memorable win for the Eagles.
Emery's defense of Mustafi is noble, but it also ignores
United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review - provides you an in-depth strategic SWOT analysis of the company's businesses and operations. The profile has been compiled by GlobalData to bring to you a clear and an unbiased view of the company's key strengths and weaknesses and the potential opportunities
Home Fort Myers - United Fidelity Bank
Bayern Munich forward Sandro Wagner on Wednesday joined Tianjin Teda in the Chinese Super League (CSL) for a reported transfer fee of five million euros and a hefty pay packet. A growing number of
Sandro Wagner completes move from Bayern Munich to Tianjin
Ronaldo could face ex-team United in ICC S'pore, Football
Football News: Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is a doubt for Wednesday's Europa League final against Arsenal because of a knee injury, with coach Maurizio Sarri rat Chelsea sweat on Kante
Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League final
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/05/28/chelsea-sweat-on-kante-fitness-for-europa-league-final/
Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League final AFP May 28, 2019 AFP No Comments Baku (AFP) - Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is a doubt for Wednesday's Europa League final against Arsenal because of a knee injury, with coach Maurizio Sarri rating the French star's chances of playing in Baku as no better than "50/50".
Football: Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League
sportsloveme.com/soccer/football-chelsea-sweat-on-kante-fitness-for-europa-league-final/
Football: Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League final 05/28/2019 Chelsea , Europa League BAKU (AFP) - Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is a doubt for Wednesday's (May 29) Europa League final against Arsenal because of a knee injury, with coach Maurizio Sarri rating the French star's chances of playing in Baku as no better than
N'Golo Kante still not guaranteed Europa League final start
Harry Kane could be out for rest of the season, says Mauricio Pochettino Kane appeared to roll his left ankle in a coming-together with City's Fabian Delph and was replaced by Lucas Moura in the
Kane could be out for the season, says Pochettino - myKhel
Rodgers closing in on EPL return with Leicester, Football
Jun 01, 2019 · Mohamed Salah scores from the penalty spot past Hugo Lloris only two minutes into the final. was one of the players driving on Spurs when they started to threaten more frequently in the second
Chelsea have completed the signing of Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain, who will join the club on loan from Juventus until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain completes Chelsea loan deal
0 comments:
Post a Comment