RAJAGOBAL BEMOANS CONGESTED SCHEDULE
PKNS coach says it is already taking a toll on his players
PKNS coach K. Rajagobal is unhappy with the congested M-League schedule. Rajagobal wanted his team to repeat their FA Cup win over Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in Saturday’s Super League match but instead, the Klang Valley side were humbled 3-1 by the defending champions in Larkin.
Afiq Fazail (eighth minute), Gonzalo Cabrera (14th) and Safawi Rasid (85th) netted for JDT while PKNS scored through Gabriel Guerra in the 48th minute.
The defeat came just three days after his side shocked JDT 1-0 at the same venue to
reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
However, Rajagobal was fair with his comments by stating that other teams are also struggling to cope with the fixtures.
“A team do not have to worry about maintaining their momentum if they have enough depth. It becomes a problem if the team do not have it,” said Rajagobal on Saturday.
“All matches are against strong teams, so we need to prepare well. I think all teams are facing a similar predicament in terms of fixtures.”
On the defeat to JDT, Rajagobal said: “JDT’s early goals affected his team’s momentum and rhythm. It was always going to be tough to claw back into the match.
“However, my players tried their best to respond from the early setback. We restricted JDT and created opportunities after the breather but they killed off the match with a third goal,” he added.
JDT manager Luciano Figueroa was pleased with the result but not with his team’s tactical play.
“We need to improve on our set-pieces as we were not up to the mark today and it affected our game plan. The boys had a good first half but their performance declined slightly after the breather which allowed PKNS to score a goal,” said the former Argentina international.
The defending champions lead the Super League with 26 points, two more than second-place Pahang while PKNS have 12 points.
JDT will now shift their focus to Wednesday’s AFC Champions League Group E match against China’s Shandong Luneng FC in Larkin.