KUALA LUMPUR - Local players appear to have been given more opportunities compared to heritage and naturalised players in the national team under head coach Pau Marti Vicente, who led Malaysia to victory in the 2024 Merdeka Tournament yesterday.
This view was shared by local football observer, Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli, who sees it as a positive development that half of the team’s starting lineup was composed of local players.
According to Pekan, the starting lineup and players fielded by Vicente in his first two matches as head coach of the Harimau Malaya also indirectly dismiss the popular claims of "invisible hands” behind the national team.
"The positive element I observed is that Vicente gave more trust to local players to perform. About half of the starting lineup can be said to be local players.
"This is what we have been hoping for, to counter the perception that every time the national team plays, there are negative accusations of ‘invisible hands’ determining the player 'call-ups' and 'lineups'.
"So, we can see that Vicente seems to have been given the freedom to shape Harimau Malaya as he sees fit, which has contributed to the success in the Merdeka Tournament,” he told Bernama today.
Yesterday, Malaysia became champions of the 2024 Merdeka Tournament after defeating Lebanon 1-0, thanks to the winning goal by naturalised striker Romel Morales at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil here.
This victory marks Malaysia’s 13th title since the oldest football tournament in Asia was introduced on Aug 31, 1957, with the last title won by the national team in the 2013 edition.
In the two matches played (in the tournament), including the 2-1 victory against the Philippines last Wednesday, midfielder Mohammad Syamer Kutty Abba, who scored a goal against the Philippines, and young defender Muhamad Feroz Baharudin were among the players who showed commendable performances.
However, Pekan also noted that there are still areas where the national team needs improvement.
"The team is still weak in various aspects of the game, particularly in the midfield, which often lacks creativity and speed in penetrating the opponent's goal area. There were many backward passes, especially in the first match against the Philippines (a 2-1 win),” he said.
Pekan further urged all parties not to be carried away by the success of winning the Merdeka Tournament, but to continue working hard to improve the quality of the national team. - BERNAMA