Irfan happy his boys are blending into a unit

PETALING JAYA: A strong bond among the players can take a team far in football.

That’s why Terengganu coach Irfan Bakti is grinning from ear to ear as he sees his team blending into a unit after playing six friendly matches ahead of the Super League season starting on Feb 3.

The Turtles have scored an impressive 14 goals in six friendlies and their bid to make an impact in the top flight looks promising.

Irfan said his strike force of Ivory Coast forward Kipre Tchetche (pic), English midfielder Lee Tuck, Cambodian midfielder Thierry Chantha Bin and former interna- tional Ashari Samsudin were combining well to get the goals.

“The attackers are clicking and I’m confident they’ll do well when the season starts,” said the 66-yearold Irfan.

“I want my team to play an attacking game and score a lot of goals.”

Irfan, however, admitted his side’s defence needed to improve.

“The defenders need to be quicker in closing the space and we also need to respond better when we lose the ball,” he said.

“Our Montenegrin defender Igor Zonjic is still adapting to our defensive tactics.

“He’s a good player and he’ll be an asset to us once he understands his teammates better.”

Irfan added he had lined up two more friendlies to iron out the weaknesses in the team. “Lee Tuck has been commanding in midfield. He’s the link between attack and midfield, while Thierry will be our enforcer.

“I’m thinking of pushing Ashari from the flanks to the midfield.

“Ashari is comfortable holding the ball and he can score goals.

“But as he’ll be 32 this year, it won’t be ideal for him to play on the flanks. So, I’ve been trying to play him in a more central role.”