SAFAWI HAS HIS FEET ON THE GROUND
Striker won’t allow awards and rewards to get to his head
IN the past, many players have fallen from grace following their failure to perform after being recognised with awards. However, Safawi Rasid, who was crowned Most Valuable, Best Midfielder and Best Young player at the recent National Football Awards, is determined not to succumb to pressure, especially in the ongoing AFF Cup.
For the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player, he also does not see himself as a superstar in the national team.
“I am still the same old Safawi. I still play the same way,” said the 21-year-old.
“Football is a team sport. No player can dominate and win matches without the support of his teammates.
“Outside the pitch, a player also needs his family, friends and coaches to support him.
“Nothing has changed since I won the three awards.”
Safawi earned his 10th cap in Malaysia’s 1-0 win over Cambodia in Friday’s Group A match in Phnom Penh.
Although, Safawi did not score, he provided the depth and intensity in attack to trouble Cambodia.
On the win, Safawi admitted that Malaysia were not at their best.
“We made a lot of simple mistakes. I think we had a hard time with our short passes.
“Although, we practiced our short passes in training, things did not go as planned. We found it hard to control the ball,” he noted.
Safawi expects a better performance from his team when they take on Laos in Bukit Jalil tomorrow.
“We need to secure our second win against Laos before we head to Hanoi to face Vietnam, who are always strong at home.
“Furthermore, Vietnam are the group favourites, so we need to have that feel good factor before we face them,” he added.
Vietnam defeated Laos 3-0 in their opening match in Vientiane, also on Friday.