MALACCA IN DISARRAY
Manager does not discount possibility of sabotage after Darul Ta’zim thrashing
AJITPAL SINGH ajitpalsingh@nst.com.my to Timesport yesterday.
“I am really disappointed with the result. We had invested a lot on players but it has not brought dividends. We need to speak to the players over all possibilities.
“It is quite dumbfounding as these players are excellent in training but at most times, they cannot translate it in matches.”
There have been talks over the formation of camps in the team with some players inclined to captain Ilija Spasojevic of Montenegro while others prefer national captain Amri Yahyah.
Spasojevic and Amri have personal issues and the latter has been told that he can leave the club and join Selangor.
“The Amri factor could be an issue but I do not want to speculate about it until we get to the truth,” said Yusoff, who is also the FA of Malaysia deputy president.
Malacca fans want immediate changes and they have blamed Williams and the foreign players for the team’s poor run in their first season back in the Super League.
With the defeat, Malacca are now in danger of missing the Malaysia Cup cut. They are 10th with eight points, one more than 11th-place Sarawak while Penang are bottom with five points.
There are two more rounds of Super League matches remaining before the 11 Malaysia Cup spots are determined.
Malacca’s next two matches are against Felda United on Saturday and PKNS on April 26, both at Hang Jebat Stadium.
“The next two matches will be crucial for if we do badly, then changes are definite when the transfer window opens on May 15. Except for South Korean Jeon Woo Young, the other imports in Spasojevic, Argentina’s Sergio Aguero and Ghana’s Godwin Antwi have failed to live up to expectations.
“Spasojevic was the Premier League top scorer in 2016 but this year, he has netted only once. Maybe, he is not good enough to play top-tier football.
“Although we had spent a lot this year, most of the players came from others clubs in the Premier League. They are inexperienced but we will need to compensate by getting quality foreigners,” Yusoff added.
The management, however, cannot entirely blame Williams for the poor form as he was brought in to handle a readymade squad signed earlier by MUSA.
Williams described the match at Larkin Stadium as ‘unusual’ as his players did not follow instructions.
“Darul Ta’zim scored seven goals from eight chances, and all were inside our penalty box. My team totally disregarded what was practiced in training... I have no idea why.
“The defending was terrible. Obviously, we need to find solutions and do some planning before the transfer window opens. Except for Woo Young, who I had signed, the others were already in the team when I was hired,” said Williams.