Almeida hoping for a new deal

COACH Eduardo Almeida hopes Melaka will retain him for next season following his success in achieving all targets set by the club in the M-League.

The Portuguese coach arrived in June, replacing Eric Williams, and his missions were to rescue Melaka from relegation and also lead them to the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Cup.

It was initially tough for Almeida as he had limited time to groom his players into a formidable unit due to the congested schedule. Under the 39year-old Almeida, Melaka have won seven and lost seven with two draws in all competitions.

“My contract expires in December. Yes, of course, I want to stay at Melaka, but it depends whether the management still need my services,” Almeida told Timesport yesterday.

“It was challenging when I arrived here as Melaka had also signed eight new players during the midseason transfer window. We struggled here and there but we managed to achieve our targets.

“The management has been very supportive. If I am retained then I will recommend some changes to strengthen the team in all aspects so that we can pose a stronger challenge next season.”

Under Almeida, Melaka made the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals for the first time in a decade, before losing 5-2 on aggregate to Darul Ta’zim.

In the Super League, Melaka avoided relegation by edging Selangor 2-1 at Hang Jebat Stadium on Wednesday. They are currently eighth with 24 points with one match left to play against Kelantan on Oct 21.

“We want to end the season with a win on the final day. The team are on a short break before they regroup for training for the match against Kelantan,” Almeida added. Ajitpal Singh