PKNS bank on foreign help for survival
PKNS coach E. Elavarasan is banking on his three new foreign signings to turn the relegationthreatened Super League club's season around.
Having won just two of 13 league games, PKNS are sitting above the relegation zone on goal difference with Sarawak and Melaka also on 11 points, five points clear of bottom-placed Penang.
PKNS have replaced injured Argentine defender Gonzalo Soto with Gambian national team captain Abdou Jammeh while Portuguese forward Fabio Ferreira and South Korean winger Park Kwang-il have come in for Lucas Espindola and Matias Jadue respectively.
Nine games remain until the end of the season and Elavarasan is confident the club can sail through troubled waters while balancing Malaysia Cup fixtures at the same time.
"The new players are settling in well after playing a few friendly games and are getting better with each match," said Elavarasan yesterday.
"It is just a question of getting the combinations right and we've got a week to work on it before the season resumes."
PKNS, who have retained Liberian striker Patrick Wleh, face Melaka in Shah Alam on July 1 in a fixture which will have a huge bearing on the relegation battle.
Midfielder Khairu Azrin Khazali has also returned to the club where he began his career after spending half a season with Melaka, giving Elavarasan more options in midfield.
"I no longer need a foreign player in midfield because I have a few options to choose from among the locals," he said. "With the new signings, our set up will be a bit different from before with Fereirra up front and Park on either the left or right wing.
"It is not just Khairu who can play in midfield as Arip Amiruddin and K. Gurusamy are also there."
PKNS ended their mid-season friendly fixtures with a 0-0 draw against Negri Sembilan in Paroi on Wednesday which followed a 11 draw with Police last Saturday when Khyril Muhymeen Zambri scored. Devinder Singh