KIM SWEE SLAMS BACK-UP PLAYERS FOR WASTING OPPORTUNITY
Kim Swee slams back-up players for lack of commitment
NATIONAL Under-23 coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee was left fuming after his second stringers fell to a 3-2 loss to Bahrain in their final Group E match.
Kim Swee gave an opportunity to eight back-up players to showcase their talents on the big stage but they failed to rise to the occasion.
He only retained skipper Baddrol Bakhtiar, defender Adam Nor Azlin and winger Syahmi Safari from their previous match, where Malaysia upset defending champions South Korea 2-1 on Aug 17. The three, however, could not do much to inspire the team.
Against Bahrain at the Wibawa Mukti Stadium in Cikarang on Monday, Malaysia scored via Syahmi and Safawi Rasid.
Despite the loss, Malaysia still topped the group thanks to a better head-to-head record against South Korea. Kim Swee’s men will meet Group D runners-up Japan in the last 16 at the Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi on Friday.
The defeat to Bahrain also came with a price for Kim Swee. He may not get to use his prized attacker Akhyar Rashid after he suffered a knock towards the end of the match.
“This is a bad result but I’m much more disappointed with the players’ performance. The back-ups were given the chance but they failed to meet expectations,” said Kim Swee.
“I decided to rest the regulars because some of them were injured. I was appalled with the attitude and lack of commitment from some of the back-up players.
“Now, I’ll only pick these players if I’ve no other choice in the next match. We’ve three more training sessions before the match on Friday and I hope they will buck up.”
Malaysia started their campaign with a 3-1 win over Kyrgyzstan on Aug 15 before their stunning victory over South Korea.
On the last-16 clash with Japan, Kim Swee said he was anticipating a tricky match as most of them are Under-21 players who have been training together for a few years.
“They’re a young squad but they’ve shown maturity.
“This is evident in their performances in the past few international tournaments.
“If the players want to spring another upset by beating Japan, they can’t afford to repeat the mistakes against Bahrain,” said the 47-year-old Kim Swee.