Hodak pleased with his boys

COACH Bojan Hodak has turned his ‘work in progress’ Under-18 side into potential champions as the team are now confident of matching favourites Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam in the ongoing AFF Championship in Yangon.

A win over Cambodia in today’s Group A match will guarantee Malaysia a semi-final spot. However, Hodak’s team may face resistance against last year’s runners-up Thailand on Tuesday where the outcome will decide the group champions.

Malaysia secured their third straight win in the tournament by overcoming Timor Leste 3-0 at Thuwunna Stadium on Friday.

Indonesia and Vietnam are currently dominating proceedings in Group B.

“The Thais are playing just like their under-22 counterparts that won the gold medal in last month’s Sea Games. They are just doing enough to win matches without fully playing to their potential,” Hodak told Timesport yesterday.

“When the Thais need results, they tighten play and score goals and after that they just relax until the final whistle.

“However, Indonesia and Vietnam are the most impressive teams so far in the competition. Both are playing well. They are the contenders here, but we hope to spoil the party.”

Hodak is pleased with the level of play showed by his players in Yangon.

“My boys are showing discipline in tactical aspects. They are improving after each game. However, they can be inconsistent during some periods in matches.

“It is normal for young players...they can be fantastic in one match, but horrible in the next. They still have to learn a lot, but there are some good signs.

“They will get better as long they keep winning matches. As young footballers, winning matches is important to build confidence,” said the Croat.

On the match against Cambodia today, Hodak said they have players with pace.

“Cambodia rely on short passing and lightning quick moves to create opportunities. Thailand struggled against them before winning 1-0 yesterday.

“We need to play better tomorrow compared to the game against Timor Leste where we made mistakes and also allowed them to press from the start,” said Hodak, whose team play the 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 formations during matches. Ajitpal Singh