COACH STAYS COOL AS KL CITY STUTTER
Hodak says situation will improve with more matches
KUALA Lumpur City’s inconsistent form may have irked the fans, but their Croatian coach Bojan Hodak is still as cool as a cucumber. The City Boys are sixth in the Super League standings with eight points from six matches.
They were defeated 1-0 by Penang in their opening match before securing seven points in their next three matches against UiTM (1-0), Selangor (1-1) and Perak (3-0).
However, KL dropped points again by losing 2-1 to Melaka before securing a 0-0 draw in their last match against Sabah.
KL travel to the MBPJ Stadium to face PJ City today. Hodak said it would be a tricky match against the all-local PJ City.
Hodak pointed out that his defence has conceded only four goals in their opening six matches and that it is the second-best in the Super League.
He believes KL will rise once their strikers click.
“Strikers win you matches, but it’s the defenders who win you the league. We are yet to fire on all cylinders, but things are looking positive, and the situation will improve with more matches,” said Hodak.
“Coach P. Maniam has done a good job with PJ City, and although they are without any foreign players, they are wellorganised and will be difficult to break.
“Their boys can run for three hours, and they are also capable of scoring from halfchances.”
“Our attacking players are still adapting to each other. Our defence has settled in, and it brings a lot of confidence to the team.”
Hodak has the knack for achieving targets. He was behind Kelantan’s treble win (Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup) in 2012 and also guided Johor Darul Ta’zim to their first Super League title in 2014.
He wants to help KL regain their glory days.
“I aim to keep the team in the Super League this season and make them stronger next year,” Hodak added.