Fatigue not a factor
JDT coach says players not tired as they are rotated
GEORGE TOWN: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) coach Mario Gomez has refused to blame fatigue for his team’s recent slump.
The league leaders were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Penang at the City Stadium in a Super League tie on Wednesday – just four days after a shock 3-0 defeat to Perak in Ipoh in the Malaysia Cup.
Jorge Diaz had put JDT ahead in the 11th minute, but Mohd Fitri Omar equalised for the islanders at the hour mark.
“The players are not tired. We’ve been resting players ... changing players for the Malaysia Cup and Super League,” said Gomez.
“We drew because Penang played well. For them, it was like a Cup final because they’re playing for survival.
“We should have done better because we scored first, but we allowed Penang to score from a (corner) set-piece.”
The Argentine can heave a sigh of relief after closest challengers Felda United also dropped points in their 1-1 draw with Kelantan.
With six matches remaining, the reigning champs head the standings with 40 points – two ahead of Felda.
“It’s not the best of results, but a draw is still acceptable because Felda also drew. Nothing has changed ... we’re still at the top,” said Gomez.
“Our target is to win the Super League and Malaysia Cup. We must work harder to win all the remaining matches.”
JDT get an early chance for revenge as they head to Ipoh again to face Perak tomorrow – this time in the Super League.
The draw ensures Penang are undefeated after four matches since Nenad Bacina took over as coach-cum-manager.
The Croatian admitted that his inside knowledge of JDT helped plot the Panthers’ tactics for Wednesday’s match.
He was the assistant to current Penang team CEO Bojan Hodak at JDT in 2014, before taking charge of JDT II in the Premier League last year.
“Of course it was an advantage to know the JDT players and their strengths and weaknesses. I knew who were the key players and how to stop them,” said Bacina.
Despite their resurgence in the second half of the season, Penang are still in the relegation zone in 11th spot – one point off safety.