STICKING TO 3-MAN DEFENCE
Kim Swee to put faith in his tried and trusted system for AFC Under-23 Championship
DEVINDER SINGH devinder@nst.com.my
NATIONAL youth coach Ong Kim Swee is not prepared to abandon the three-man backline he employed at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games ahead of the AFC Under-23 Championship in China next January.
Kim Swee’s use of three centrebacks saw Malaysia reach the Sea Games final which they lost 1-0 to Thailand in August but the defence only managed to keep one cleansheet in six games.
With Malaysia to face robust Arab giants Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan in Group C at the Under-23 tournament, Kim Swee was asked whether he still favoured sticking to the threeman defence.
“At the moment yes, but I will also have a back-up plan with a back-four or a back-five,” he said ahead of a training session at Wisma FAM yesterday.
“It depends on the situation and the quality of the players that I have and their understanding of the system I want to use.”
At the Sea Games, Kim Swee used Adam Nor Azlin, Adib Zainuddin and Irfan Zakaria as his preferred backline with support from wing-backs Matthew Davies and Syazwan Andik Ishak.
Of the three, only new Johor Darul Ta’zim signing Adib is a recognised centre-back while Adam, who has also been utilised in a three-man defence by Selangor, is more of a utility player while Irfan play as a defensive midfielder for Kuala Lumpur.
However, Kim Swee does have other options in Syazwan Zainol Bahari, Dominic Tan and A. Shivan Pillay to play in central defence.
“This system gives us more options at the back and the ability to move the ball much more freely and give the midfielders support,” said Kim Swee.
“The goals we conceded at the Sea Games were not because of the opponents taking advantage of our system but it came from our own mistakes so I am not worried about that.”
Kim Swee plans to begin tactical training next week before the squad are put to the test in a friendly against Petaling Jaya Rangers on Dec 9.
“We are still focused on the players’ fitness before moving on to tactical training next week,” he said. “This is the first time we are going to play the highest level youth tournament in Asia, so I want the players to be ready to perform and give the other teams a fight.”