Feed the strikers the ball, urges Dollah

PETALING JAYA: Give the hitmen the ammunition!

That’s the advice former national team coach Dollah Salleh has for the national team ahead of their crunch tie against Vietnam in the second leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi tonight.

The Harimau Malaya were held to a 2-2 by the Golden Dragons in the first leg of the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday and now face an uphill battle to clinch the victory.

Dollah has previously masterminded an unlikely win over Vietnam in the semi-final en route to the Suzuki Cup final in 2014, with Malaysia beating Vietnam 4-2 in the second leg in Hanoi after losing the first leg 2-1 at home in Shah Alam.

The former international said he’s confident of Malaysia abilities to stage a comeback but added that the key is on how the strikers – Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Mohamadou Sumareh and Zaquan Adha Razak – are used.

“We have a formidable attack force who I think can play better if they fed with quality ball. I see that the attackers are not getting the ball from the midfield, our attackers actually quite good at holding the ball and breaking pass the opponent defence if they get the right passes,” said the Pahang coach yesterday.

“I can see the player’s commitment from the way they mount a comeback to hold Vietnam for the 2-2 draw. They must be positive in Hanoi, they must believe they can beat Vietnam in front of their own fans.”

Dollah said the impact of Pahang players – Norshahrul, popularly known as Matyo and Sumareh – are wasted if they had to drop down to collect the ball to mount attacks.

The 55-year-old added that Vietnam are a team of fighters and the Malaysian must not be too eager to get the goals and must be cautious when attacking.

“Matyo’s dribbling skills are one of the best in the region and he can be much more dangerous from the byline, while Sumareh is difficult to defend against when he’s running with the ball ... the other players in the team must know how to use them better.”

“This is a must win match but it won’t be wise to just go on all attacks ... this Vietnamese side has been together since 2014 and their midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai is their dangerman with his pinpoint defence splitting passes. Malaysia need to play as an unit when defending and attacking.”

“I believe coach Tan (Cheng Hoe) and the players would have done their homework for this match and I wish them good luck and will pray for their win. It’s a tough match but I believe the Harimau Malaya have it in them to spring an upset,” said Dollah.