Coach Saiful wants Tenaga players to work on their finishing

PETALING JAYA: There is work to be done within Tenaga Nasional, winners of the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup.

Those were the words of coach Nor Saiful Zaini who has urged his charges to work on their chemistry and finishing if they want to do well in the league.

Even though the team won the Cup by beating Terengganu 2-1 in a cagey final, the former national player said Tenaga need to work on their finishing, and the team have yet to peak.

“Defensively, we are looking good but finishing-wise leaves much to be desired. In the final, we played in patches. Some plays we were good, some did not click at all.

“Even though we are fielding only local players anything can happen in hockey. For me, the players should give their 100% every minute. Give their all until the last minute.

“That’s the commitment I want from the players,” said Nor Saiful.

He added that the team also need to work on their passing and teamwork to ensure they can remain as the title challengers in the league.

“In the final, some passes were not accurate enough. We will work on correcting that and also ensure that we play as a team. We aim to win the league and the overall title.”

The coach said that he wants full points from their first two league matches against UITM and Nur Insafi.

“All the players have yet to click because some just reported for training and it was evident during the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup. Once they play often enough, they will get their sharpness. The more they play, they better they become. We have forwards who can deliver and they need match sharpness to convert their chances into goals.”

Nor Saiful also lauded the influence of goalkeeper S. Kumar, who played a significant role in the final by making several crucial saves and even stopping Terengganu Jang Jong-hyun’s high flick in that game.

“He was in top form and made several great saves. That is why he is still the best in Malaysia. We hope he can maintain this performance.

“Because of his age, we have to monitor his fitness and talk with him to ensure that he is at his best throughout the tournament. He might be rested in some matches to make sure that he can maintain his form.”