Tough times await Melaka in Vietnam pre-season tour

PETALING JAYA: Melaka coach Zainal Abidin Hassan wants the team to shift into higher gear in their pre-season tour in Vietnam.

The Mousedeers have won three of their earlier pre-season matches – against Selangor United on Dec 29 (3-2), Negri Sembilan on Jan 5 (2-0) and Warriors FC of Singapore (5-1) on Wednesday ahead of the Super League.

The former international said he had raised the bar for his players when they face top Vietnamese sides – Becamex Binh Duong (tomorrow), Saigon FC (Sunday) and Ho Chi Minh City FC (Jan 15).

“The team have shown improvement in every match, but I know they can do much better. The matches in Vietnam will be tougher and will be the right test for the players,” said Zainal before leaving for Vietnam yesterday.

“The win against Warriors is a good sign, but we still need to cut down on mistakes. What’s positive is that I can see the players’ commit- ment and hard work in training.

“We’re also testing our import players and the combination among the players. I need more time to assess the players especially the imports as they need to adapt.”

Melaka made their the return to the Super League in 2017 after 10 years, but they are yet to win a silverware since winning the Premier League in 2016.

The team have signed old war horses – Shukor Adan, Razman Roslan and Safiq Rahim – to bring in a winning mentality into the team but Zainal said his talented youngsters were also a vital cog for their M-League campaign.

Among the youngsters expected to shine are S. Deevan Raj, Nurshamil Abdul Ghani, Wan Amirul Afiq Wan Abdul Rahman and M. Kavish Kumar.

“Our youngsters are good too, they just need more experience and having the seniors guys will make them pick up the finer aspects of the game better,” added the 57-year-old.

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