Eagles not blinded by Young Lions’ inexperience
Basil Yeo
info@sleague.com
Geylang United will be feeling the wind beneath their wings when they take on the Young Lions on Wednesday evening, but they are determined not to let their recent run of good performances come to an end so soon.
It has been a change of fortunes lately for the Eagles, who have undergone a period of rejuvenation since Mike Wong took full control over the coaching responsibilities, taking three straight victories from three games this April.
The winning streak has seen the Eagles climb from the doldrums of tenth place to a more respectable fifth, where they are only four points short of the next highest teams Tampines Rovers and Gombak United.
The 3-5-2 tactical system has not changed much, but Wong appears to have found a secret weapon in the form of Prime League-registered hotshot Lloyd Butler.
The 19-year-old Englishman has been splendid amongst the rest of the green shirts, delivering the winner in all three games since Wong took charge.
As a consequence, he has held on firmly to the starting berth that used to go to fellow pre-season signing Rickey Harris.
Despite what Butler and the other Eagles have managed so far, however, Wong is refusing to content himself with what he has at the moment.
“It will be a long season for us,” he said in a telephone interview. “We have nine points from the last three games but the team is still not what I would like it to be, in terms of commitment and understanding.
“Rickey Harris is still around, but his performance so far has been a bit below average,” said Wong of the recently-dropped Canadian striker. “He is still trying to adjust and it is no surprise since he is new to this league.”
Come Wednesday, Geylang host the Young Lions at Bedok Stadium as they look set to further close the gap up to a single point.
The Eagles should be buoyed by the fact that they have not conceded for three games, but will lack key defensive options in Baihakki Khaizan and Rastislav Belicak, who are suspended this round after picking up their fourth yellow cards of the season.
The absence of the duo could yet pave the way for a few changes in the core of the regular starting lineup.
Also, the visitors have proven themselves to be capable of upsets and convincing victories, as they did so earlier with Home United and most recently, Balestier Khalsa.
However, the Young Lions camp has seen a reshuffle since captain Isa Halim’s departure, with Obadin Aikhena inheriting the armband and former Eagles boy Fabian Kwok stepping into the central midfield position.
But Wong does not see the youth and inexperience of his opponents as a true disadvantage.
“They are a hardworking and organized side,” said Wong.
“Some of these players have played together since youth level. My players will have to be careful on their counter as they will trouble us if they manage to play as a team.”
“Most of them will want to show their worth to be selected for the SEA Games squad, so their enthusiasm and work rate makes up for their inexperience.
“We will try to give a good performance and we’ll see on the day which team has more hunger and urgency to score more goals.”
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