Sathia faces uphill task to get Felda back to winning ways
PETALING JAYA: Felda United’s new coach B. Sathianathan’s damage-control Super League mission will begin against Perak at the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium in Jengka tonight.
The former international was roped in by the Fighters on Monday after three straight losses. Felda are 11th in the 12-team league with four points.
But it will not be an easy job for Sathia considering third-placed Perak, on 10 points, are on a high after ending defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) 25-match unbeaten run with a 2-1 win last week.
To add Felda’s misery, their key players – inter- national striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and winger Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor – are doubtful starters due to injuries.
“We need to start winning but it’s not going to be a cake walk although we’re playing at home,” said Sathia, a former national coach.
“Our lack of depth in the squad is made worse with injuries to key players. On top of that our players are fatigued after playing every three days. They are low on confidence right now due to the negative results,” said Sathia.
Felda are also involved in the AFC Cup. The debutants were beaten 2-1 by Tampines Rovers in their opening Group B match at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Tuesday.
“The good thing is the team showed fighting spirit to score a goal against Tampines, I hope they can repeat that fighting spirit and get a positive result against Perak.”
Felda have started the season with Azmi Mohamed as coach. But the former international striker quit after just three matches on Feb 8.
Assistant coach Mohamed Nik then took charge but he failed to arrest the decline.
Like Felda, Perak are also handled by a new coach. Australian Mehmet Durakovic, the former Selangor coach and player, was named to replace 81-year-old Karl-Heinz Weigang on Wednesday.
Said Sathia: “Mehmet knows all about Malaysian football, having won the 2015 Malaysia Cup with Selangor. Some of the Selangor players are with Perak now so he should hit the ground running.”