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Rams and Protectors desperate for points
Sham Majid
info@sleague.com
Beleaguered outfits Woodlands Wellington and Home United would be looking for a massive shot in the arm when the latter make the trip up north to Woodlands Stadium on Monday evening.
The hosts have somewhat hit a roadblock following their sparkling League Cup run, and Thursday’s 0-1 home reverse against Sengkang Punggol saw them slump to a second consecutive league defeat, whilst the Protectors had their tails between their legs as they were stunned 1-4 by Beijing Guoan Talent 24 hours later.
Despite conceding that Thursday’s proceedings were a downer, Woodlands coach A. Shasi Kumar insisted that his side have no reason to dwell on the result.
“In terms of morale, we are not really too down, although Thursday’s game was a disappointing result,” he said.
“But we still got 29 games to play, so there’s a long way yet to go for us. I believe it’s more of the mental part, and a lack of concentration has cost us in some games, more than the lack of chances.
“I would be more worried if we weren’t creating chances, but it’s just that we are not scoring at the moment and putting away our chances.”
The former Gombak caretaker boss believed that the Protectors’ hammering on Friday was a harsh result belying the true pattern of the encounter.
“I actually thought Home played well, and Beijing scored in the last ten minutes when Home were pushing players up and left some gaps,” he commented.
“I don’t think it would be an easy game for us at all and in fact, this is a bad time to face them after their loss.
“They do not just stop other teams from playing, they simply play their own game ,so it’s going to be a difficult match.”
Whilst the post-match conference on Friday centred around the fallout between Home gaffer Lee Lim Saeng and Brazilian playmaker Peres de Oliveira, Shasi diplomatically declined to comment on the frenzied speculation.
“I don’t wish to say anything about what the Home coach said, and we won’t certainly be going into the game thinking what he spoke,” he noted.
“I feel that Home are a very good team and even if Peres doesn’t play, they have seven national players in their side so they can easily make up for him or for any other player.”
Home assistant coach S. Subramani meanwhile admitted that his side are a wounded animal following Friday’s shock loss, but added that the scoreline seemingly flattered the Chinese side.
“Obviously, we are disappointed and we will train over the next few days and see how the boys are doing,” Subramani elaborated.
“For the first forty minutes, I felt that we were dominating the game and we created a number of chances, but we conceded the first goal at a crucial time and this meant that we had to chase the game.
“The defeat made it look like a huge scoreline, but I think that it does not reflect the whole game, and we conceded two late goals when we were pushing for the equaliser.”
With the two-time league champions lurking at third from bottom after four matches, the former national centreback hinted that the next couple of matches would test the squad’s mental strength and fortitude under trying circumstances.
“We have a new coach and new foreign imports and we are gelling well as each games progresses, and performance-wise, we are getting better,” he pointed out.
“Friday night was just one of those days when nothing clicked for us, and good teams always have this period where things don’t go for them, but what is important is how we bounce back from this situation.
“Obviously, we want to get a win against Woodlands and pick ourselves up as fast as possible, and we don’t want to drift any further away from Tampines Rovers and the top teams.
“Woodlands are a young side and have gone through a lot of changes, but they have a new outstanding up-and-coming coach. But we have to look at our own game and get a win.”
The former Protectors skipper also played down the notion that the Home dressing room is unsettled following revelations of a clash in personalities between tactician Lim and long-serving midfielder Oliveira.
“Personally, I don’t think so,” he said.
“We can’t question the team spirit and understanding of the squad, and there should not be much in terms of distractions, as the players know what they have to do as professionals.
“At the end of the day, the three points is much more important for us than any other thing, and the league is something we are focusing on.”
Syed Karim will continue to be sidelined for Woodlands with a muscle injury, while Home’s defensive rock Valery Hiek will return to the heart of defence after being forced to sit out of their Beijing clash due to suspension. |
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