ROSY FUTURE
Hodak believes Malaysia can be an Asian force soon
COACH Bojan Hodak believes his team have the potential to make Malaysia great again in Asia following the impressive performance in the AFF Under18 Championship in Yangon on Sunday.
Malaysia defied the odds to make the final, only to lose 2-0 to last year’s runners-up Thailand.
Many thought the team would do badly considering that Hodak only had two weeks with his trainees prior to the tournament.
“It was a good experience for the players as most hardly had any international exposure prior to the Yangon assignment,” said Hodak in Yangon yesterday.
“With the short preparation, my boys showed good results, hunger and the willingness to learn and listen. It shows they have the potential.
“However, there are weaknesses. I need to help them improve in technical and tactical aspects.
“The biggest problem is that the players cannot hold onto the ball when under pressure, especially in midfield. But, of course, they showed progress after each game”.
Hodak said his team must also work on their finishing.
“We had no issues creating chances in the AFF tournament, but finishing them off was a problem. The attackers need to work on this, but these are things that they need to do with their clubs.
“For example, when I was coaching Norshahrul Idlan Talaha at UBP-MyTeam, he needed five or six chances to score one goal, but his ratio improved to one goal in every three or four chances.
“Darul Ta’zim Mohammed Ghaddar needs only two chances to score one goal and this is the benchmark our strikers must aim for.”
On the defeat on Sunday, Hodak said the goals conceded were mistakes by the defenders and goalkeeper.
“But then again, they were brilliant in the group stage and semifinals. Inconsistency is normal among youth players.
“I am a taskmaster. Those who keep repeating mistakes in matches will find no place in my team. I want players to keep learning from me”, said the Croat.
The team will gather again next month to prepare for the AFC Under-19 qualifier in South Korea on Oct 31-Nov 8.
Malaysia are in Group F with South Korea, Indonesia, Timor Leste and Brunei.
“I will definitely scout for more players in the President’s Cup and Youth Cup. We need to be prepared better for the qualifier,” he said
On the player who stood out in Yangon, Hodak said Kedah winger Akhyar Rashid was the most dominant in the team.
“Akhyar is mature for his age as he has played for Kedah’s senior team in the Super League. He has an interesting style of play.
“In matches, he almost never loses the ball and he is excellent in getting away from defenders.
“He is always avoiding tackles and this is something unique as skilful players are normally prone to injuries.
“At the moment, Akhyar is the only one capable of playing for the national under-23 and senior teams, but there are 10 others in my squad who have the potential to do the same,” Hodak added.