Nasa: Only way is up
Fabius Chen
info@sleague.com
Albirex Niigata (Singapore) head into Thursday’s game against Balestier Khalsa knowing that a win will see them comfortably in mid-table at the end of the first round of this Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League season.
For the visiting Tigers, however, nothing less than a three-goal victory will be enough to lift them off the foot of the table.
It will be an uphill task for Nasaruddin Jalil’s side, who have struggled on their travels thus far. Two points from four away games hardly inspires confidence and their cause will not be helped by injuries to key players.
American defender Seth Galloway and Chilean midfielder Julio Eduardo look set to miss out on the visit to Jurong East Stadium, the latest in a laundry list of casualties that Nasaruddin has had to face this season.
The Tigers coach pointed out: “We’ve been facing injury problems, especially in defence with Seth and Jufri (Taha) missing games.
“The players who have come in need time to gel as well, so we have been working hard on our defending.”
Balestier’s young forward Bryan Soane, 21, has started all of Balestier’s 10 league games so far but with little in the way of support, has only one goal to show for it.
However, the forward believes that Brazilian winger Ednardo’s return from injury will help relieve some of the pressure on his young shoulders.
“Ednardo’s return has been well felt,” Soane said.
“He has lots of pace to burn out wide and gives good service and width to the team.”
Despite their present position propping up the S.League table, both player and coach showed little sign of a defeatist attitude.
According to Soane, the mood in the Tigers dressing room is just as positive as it was at the start of the season.
“All the boys are still upbeat, even though obviously no one likes being bottom of the table,” he said.
“But we have been training hard and working together on the areas that need work and we are confident of turning the season around.”
Coach Nasaruddin was equally upbeat about his side’s chances of climbing the table as the season progresses.
He commented: “We are not far away from mid-table and have the rest of the season to see how much we can improve.
“We just have to make sure everybody is fit so that we can perform as a unit.”
The Tigers would have given just about anything for a full-strength squad ahead of Thursday’s game, especially considering their opponents’ excellent home form.
Naoki Naruo’s men are unbeaten in their last five home games, the latest being an impressive 3-1 win over high-flying Gombak United in the RHB Singapore Cup Preliminary Round.
However, no one at the club is taking anything for granted, according to club manager Bogdan Brasoveanu.
“There is no talk about us starting as favourites,” he stated plainly.
“The game always starts at nil-nil and the ball is round. We just hope to have consistency in our performances.”
The Japanese outfit is one of the youngest in the league and their manager was quick to point out that patience is required when it comes to achieving the right results.
“We have a very young team and they need time to adjust to playing in Singapore,” Brasoveanu said.
“It is our objective to develop young players and as long as they perform well, we are happy.”
And, like Thursday’s opposition, Brasoveanu was adamant that there is still plenty to play for this season.
“It’s a long season; we will have to keep our concentration and play our game.”
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