Syahmi: In Hanoi we were dominant but lost

PETALING JAYA: Ever the perfectionist, Malaysian rightback Muhammad Syahmi Safari (pic) still feels the need to improve his game for Malaysia.

The Selangor player is a vital cog in national coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formation in the AFF Suzuki Cup campaign and has been impressive in all of his matches so far.

But the 20-year-old Syahmi rued his performance against Vietnam even though he constantly threatened the Golden Dragons’ defence with his overlapping runs.

“We were dominant against Vietnam but the final third push was not there. Personally, I did not perform well because I could have done more in defence,” said Syahmi.

“The players struggled for rhythm in the first two matches but won. In Hanoi, we were dominant and felt very comfortable with the ball but lost.

“We need to be composed and focused if we want to win this tournament,” said the versa- tile youngster, who is able to play as a wingback, fullback and winger.

Under Cheng Hoe, Syahmi has been the first choice rightback for Harimau Malaya since Sept 7, when he played against Chinese Taipei in an international friendly match.

The diminutive player has also formed a telepathic understanding with wingers Mohamadou Sumareh and Muhammad Safawi Rasid on the right.

Syahmi said it was his duty to fulfil the tactical instructions of the coach, who has demanded his team to attack from the flanks.

“I’m fine playing as wingback or fullback. It is not awkward for me to switch roles. I’ve done that in Selangor and I’m ready to do so with the national team.”

On the match against Myanmar at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Nov 24, Syahmi said they treat their opponents with respect.

“They’ve many talented Under-23 players. We’ll be doing a thorough analysis on Myanmar today. One particular player we should watch out is striker Aung Thu,” he said.

Malaysia need to win against Myanmar to book a place in the knockout stages of the tournament.