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Dalian welcome rampant Warriors to Queenstown
W.Ng
info@sleague.com
Three matches. Three sending-offs. Three losses. And, like blunt pencils, Dalian Shide have no points.
The statistics are stark for the Chinese team, and if the form table is anything to go by, things are about to get worse before they get any better.
Dalian could not have picked a worse time to play SAFFC, with the defending champions sitting pretty atop the S.League standings after strolling to victories in their first three games, all of which ended with the Warriors having scored thrice.
With two goals apiece so far, strike partners Norikazu Murakami and Aleksandar Duric seem to be continuing
where they left off last season, when the duo spearheaded the Warriors’ charge to the title.
New signing Masahiro Fukusawa, recruited from Bangkok University in the close season, has also impressed in
his first few performances for the champions. The Japanese winger grabbed the goal that opened proceedings at the Jalan Besar stadium against Sengkang Punggol on Friday, and coach Richard Bok is expecting more to come from him.
“He is a different player from Noor Ali, they play differently,” said the coach. “Masa is doing well. He’s hard-working, tracks back and helps out the defence.”
Satisfied as he was with his team’s performances so far, Bok was not about to be lulled into a sense of over-confidence.
“I think we did our jobs in the first three games, we worked hard for it, and deserve to be top of the table.
“I’ve watched (Dalian) play. They are a young side, not a bad team, they pass the ball well, and are a decent side.
“I thought they were unlucky to lose their last three games. Especially the game against Woodlands, they had a penalty saved at the end.
“They are young, a little inexperienced, but they just came here a week before the first match and still have some adapting to do.”
A fourth win in succession would be the ideal preparation for SAFFC ahead of their crunch March 14 tie with Tampines Rovers who, together with Home United, stretched them all the way last season.
Apart from long-term injury victim Toh Guo’An, Bok will bring a full-strength side to the Queenstown Stadium.
“Other than Toh, who is out until May, I have a full squad. But we won’t be taking any team easily. We will be playing a normal game, and go out and work hard to collect the three points.”
For a sorry Dalian side on the other hand, there seems to be no reprieve in sight, and their pre-season target of a top-six finish looks a long shot at the moment.
Zhang Honglue could have earned his side their first point of the season when he stepped up to the penalty spot in the dying minutes of the match against Wooodlands, but Yazid Yasin’s heroics ensured Zhang – and his luckless team – would leave the stadium empty-handed yet again.
Midfielder Quan Heng returns from suspension, but Li Zhichao takes his place on the sidelines alongside the already-suspended Chi Jinyu after being dismissed in the game against Woodlands.
Predictably, the Warriors have got their 2008 S.League campaign off to a flying start – and Dalian Shide will have to be on top of their game to avoid becoming next in the firing line.
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