Wong preaches caution ahead of Gombak clash
Syahrom Sulaiman
info@sleague.com
With three wins from their last four league games and having dumped reigning champions SAFFC out of the Singapore Cup last week, Geylang United are on a high ahead of their clash with Gombak United on Thursday.
The form of the Eagles mirrors that of their opponents at the start of the season, Gombak too having caught the eye by storming to the top of the table with a defeat of SAFFC along the way.
Geylang coach Mike Wong remains unbeaten in five matches since taking sole charge of the team last month. Still, the former Singapore women’s national team coach is urging caution ahead of his side’s visit to Jurong West.
“I don’t want to be too confident when we face Gombak on Thursday,” said Wong.
“They are one of the high-fliers in the league and we are trying to catch up with them. I have seen them three times in action and it is apparent that they are a good attacking force, well-disciplined side and the players defend well when the team loses possession.
“They have so many good attacking options. They have Agu (Casmir), Emmanuel (Emuejeraye) and Theerawesin (Seehawong), a player who is capable to dictate the play from the middle of the park,” he pointed out.
Wong will be cheered however by the stout defensive display his side put on against SAFFC, which allowed them to stun the Warriors on the break.
Baihakki Khaizan and Walid Lounis controlled the backline superbly while the energetic Slovak midfield duo of Rastislav Belicak and Miroslav Latiak overpowered the Warriors’ engine room.
Throw in the creativity of veteran winger Noor Ali into the mix and the Eagles are potentially a side that can create trouble for a Bulls’ defence that is well-marshalled by the partnership of Bah Mamadou and Sevki Sha’ban.
Wong is keen to put the euphoria of eliminating SAFFC in the first round of the Singapore Cup. “A league game is pretty much different from a cup game,” he said.
“Players will have a different mentality coming into this game. Furthermore, we are playing away at Jurong West, so that could be difficult for us. But given the strength of our backline and options in attack, we have a good chance of performing well,” Wong added.
The Eagles’ coach will be happy to know that Gombak’s Australian midfielder Goran Subara is suspended for the tie after picking up his fourth yellow card of the season in the league game against Balestier Khalsa.
Subara is a workaholic midfield enforcer whose toils in the middle of the park lay the foundation for the creativity of the players around him to flourish.
The Bulls do have solid replacements for the Aussie and coach Darren Stewart can choose between inserting either Ridhwan Jamaluddin or Shafuan Sutohmoh into the starting lineup.
A victory for the Bulls will be the perfect tonic for a side which was unceremoniously dumped out of the Singapore Cup by Albirex Niigata (Singapore).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment