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
Virgil van Dijk says fans can boo him all they want as the Liverpool and Holland defender does not care a jot.. The PFA Player of the Year won the Champions League at the start of the month but was unable to follow it up with further silverware in the Nations League.
Carra puts Messi ahead of Van Dijk in Ballon d'Or race
Manchester United's Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba headed first-half goals to claim a 2-0 win that dumped FA Cup holders Chelsea out of the competition and secured a place in the quarter-finals in an intense tie at Stamford Bridge on Monday. Spaniard Herrera finished off a fine move with a precise
United dump holders Chelsea out of Cup to pile pressure on
Valencia coach Marcelino insists the pressure will be on Arsenal when his side take on the Gunners in the Europa League semi-finals. Toni Lato and Dani Parejo were on target for Los Che as they
Arsenal favourites for Europa League - Marcelino - msn.com
Publicly, Klopp would never assert that is team are "10 games from greatness". The Reds boss has always been keen to play down the increasing weight of expectation, blocking out the white noise of
Reds must rediscover passion: Klopp, Football News & Top
Brian Jensen knows all about a battle to be Burnley's number one. The great Dane always had to fight for the gloves during his 10 years at Turf Moor, more often than not coming out on top. Danny
Goalkeepers
Cardiff City captain Sol Bamba dedicated his goal and a 2-1 victory over Southampton to Emiliano Sala after an emotional match for the Welsh club.
Victory And Goal For Sala - Bamba - iAfrica.com
Emery wary of Valencia's recovery potential in 2nd leg Alexandre Lacazette watches as Valencia goalkeeper Neto is unable to prevent the striker's header from crossing the line to give Arsenal the
Emery wary of Valencia's recovery potential in 2nd leg
Headline Pochettino denies Spurs had one eye on Ajax clash after Hammers defeat Spurs put in a leggy and lethargic performance as West Ham became the first opposition team to score and win at the
Manchester United receive triple injury boost ahead of
Football: Klopp relaxed about Salah's Liverpool drought LONDON (AFP) - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is relaxed about Mohamed Salah's goalscoring drought, saying the Egyptian forward remains a key part of the title chasers' attacking armoury.
Klopp relaxed about Salah's Liverpool drought | theScore.com
Ahead of the crucial match between Manchester City and Chelsea, manager Maurizio Sarri explained why Higuain and Hazard connect so much. On the last match Chelsea played in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, both Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard scored a brace after following Maurizio Sarri's orders.
Chelsea news: Maurizio Sarri hails Gonzalo Higuain and makes
CARDIFF CITY: Bottom club Huddersfield Town ended their eight-match losing streak in the Premier League with a goalless draw at fellow strugglers Cardiff City on Saturday. Cardiff, in 17th place, did not manage a shot on target and Huddersfield were left fuming over a decision from referee Lee Mason.
Huddersfield end losing run with draw at Cardiff
0 comments:
Post a Comment