BRINGER OF HOPE
Coach Durakovic has Perak fans excited
MEHMET Durakovic is one of the few who have won the Malaysia Cup both as a player and coach. The 52-year-old won the tournament as a player with Selangor between 1995-97, and did so with the same club as a coach in 2015.
Now, the Australian eyes glory again in the Malaysia Cup with Perak.
Perak’s campaign in the second half of the season has improved, thanks to Durakovic’s coaching methods and his decision to sign Brazilians Gilmar Jose Da Silva and Leandro Dos Santos during the midseason transfer window.
Durakovic is now a favourite among Perak fans after guiding his team to their first Malaysia Cup quarter-final appearance since 2011.
Perak will travel to Kuantan today to face Pahang in the first leg.
For the record, Perak last won the Malaysia Cup 17 years ago, and their last appearance in the final was the 2006-07 season.
Durakovic is not a magician but he has the knack of transforming teams into title winners through his regimented team work philosophy.
“There is no secret. The players and I are like a family now. When I arrived in Perak, I knew nobody except former Selangor players, Shahrom Kalam and Abdul Hadi Yahya.
“However, everyone bonded as the league progressed. I trust my players and they have adopted my philosophy.
“The team are playing fantastic football and I cannot ask for more from the players.
“Perak are in a better position now compared to previous seasons where the team were always at the bottom of the table.”
On his aspirations to win the Malaysia Cup with Perak, Durakovic said it will be a dream come true.
“It will be fantastic to win it again. But it will not be easy as we are only halfway through the competition.
“We have to respect all teams in the Malaysia Cup. Darul Ta’zim are obviously the best team around.
“They are the benchmark of the M-League, while we have teams like Selangor, Pahang and Kedah who all have history in this competition.
“Our aim is to emulate some of the things adopted by Darul Ta’zim, and currently we are on the right track.
On the match today, Durakovic said playing Pahang in Kuantan is always tough.
“It is not going to be easy. Pahang are good and their local and foreign players are experienced. Furthermore, Pahang are very tough to beat at home,” he said.
Durakovic revealed that midfielder Hafiz Kamal is out for the rest of the season after tearing his knee ligaments during training recently.
“His experience will be missed. His injury has come at a wrong time, but we have no choice to but adapt without him.
“I am very disappointed. He has torn all his knee ligaments, and hopefully, he can return next season.”