Posted on Jul 7, 2012 in NEWS by AFF Admin
By Keeshaanan Sundaresan – AFF Malaysian correspondent
After an unsuccessful campaign to qualify for the 2014 U22 AFC Asian Cup, our man in Malaysia reports on the five things Malaysian fans learnt out of the campaign.
TIME TO GET BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
Malaysia celebrate their SE Asian Games gold medal
They conquered the Gelora Bung Karno. As a matter of fact, these players shone impeccably on that very day in Indonesia. That very day that sealed our South East Asian games gold medal for football. But failure to qualify for the U22 AFC Asian Cup is indeed a cause for concern.
The process of rebuilding takes place slowly and has to undergo very important steps. Initially, our aim was to regain control in South East Asia. To be more than mere pushovers for the likes of Thailand and Indonesia.
Our triumph in the AFF Suzuki Cup and SEA Games was enough for us to be labeled as the Kings of South East Asian football, and it was pretty much time for us to step onto a bigger level.
Vivid images from our dismal Asian Cup campaign in 2007 still remain in all Malaysian fans memories. But our failure to qualify this time around compels more agony. So much for supposedly being drawn in an easy group, which only had one traditional powerhouse in the form of South Korea.
No disrespect to Kim Swee's boys as they tried their best, but this failure is definitely a cause for concern. It's time for FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) to collectively re-analyse several key aspects, including preparing to give players the 'right' exposure.
THERE IS A VAST ARRAY OF TALENT IN MALAYSIA
Go back a few years and you would find Malaysians talking about how local football lacked fresh talent. But this Harimau Muda side is nothing short of the right goods.
Two years back, the whole of Malaysia was buzzing after the explosion of Safee Sali during their AFF Suzuki Cup campaign. A year later, everyone was articulating about Nazmi Faiz and his exploits during the South East Asian games. It's a fact that is still yet to be digested among many, but Malaysian football can be counted as a talent producer.
This time around, it was Rozaimi Rahman's turn to announce his arrival on the big stage. From being a quiet lad in the suburbs of Sabah, the pacy forward's performances throughout the qualifiers in Myanmar took everyone by surprise. 10 goals in 5 games is no mean feat and his exploits will certainly not go unnoticed.
FAM NEEDS TO DO EVERYTHING WITHIN ITS POWER TO RETAIN ONG KIM SWEE
Ong Kim Swee
He's an astute tactician. The former Malacca footballer is indeed the right man to lead Harimau Muda. Having taken over from a hugely successful predecessor in the form of Dato K. Rajagopal, the pressure was certainly on for Ong Kim Swee. But he has done brilliantly since taking charge, guiding the side to SEA Games glory last year, while also building the side for their impressive run in the S-League thus far.
The interesting thing with Kim Swee isn't his tactics or ideology. It's the way in which he brings out the best in his squad.
The SEA Games winning squad was made up of big names like K. Gurusamy, Khairul Fahmi Che Mat as well as Muslim Ahmad. All these players returned to play in the Malaysian Super League and the Harimau Muda's future was being questioned by many.
Nevertheless, Kim Swee stuck by his principles and integrated younger players into the squad. These players have been relatively impressive, which speaks volumes for their consistency so far. Leave the failure to qualify aside, netting a total of 17 goals in five matches isn't child's play.
NAZMI FAIZ NEEDS A BREAK FROM NATIONAL DUTY
For all the hype that is surrounding him right now, Nazmi Faiz failed to live up to his expectations during the qualifiers in Myanmar. The pressure was evident from the beginning, with fans and media alike touting him to be Harimau Muda's driving force in Myanmar.
However, all we got was a few dodgy performances and also a cluster of "un-Nazmi like" shots or passes. Since his breakthrough into the national scene last year, Nazmi has constantly been on the go, featuring in the Olympic Qualifiers before joining up with the squad to participate in the S-League. In between that, he also followed the squad around Europe to participate in the friendly tours planned by FAM. For a player who is barely 19, it can be quite a culture shock and the needless pressure after his move to Beira-Mar is doing him no favours as well.
Now that the qualifiers are over, Nazmi has departed to Portugal and will link up with his new teammates in Aveiro. Perhaps, it's time we give him an extended break from the national set-up and allow him to settle down into a new environment. It's only going to benefit Malaysia on the long-run.
MORE PLAYERS NEED TO MOVE ABROAD
Nazmi Faiz has signed a contract with SC Beira Mar in Portugal
Sometimes people wonder, what is actually making the difference in this current Harimau Muda squad? What is the impressive element about their football, which is so attractive that people are compelled to believe in them?
One possible point would be their extended training camp in Slovakia. A huge chunk of this current squad was part of the team that was sent to Slovakia some time back, with some of them even impressing local clubs over there.
Fadhli Shahs, Wan Zack and Irfan Fazail were snapped up on short term loan deals, and while they barely featured in official games, the experience has undoubtedly influenced their football.
This can be visibly seen among the three players, especially Fadhli Shas, whose form has improved dramatically over the last one year or so. All this points to one thing – more players need to be sent abroad.
Not just randomly dumping them in a country because Slovakia and Hungary will help us, but can they compare their abilities in nations like Spain, Brazil and Portugal. These are countries with rich footballing history and they would definitely make good spots for young Malaysian lads to learn the tools of the trade.
Tags: fam, featured, harimau muda, malaysia, nazmi faiz, ong kim swee, rahman, rozaimi
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