Keep it cool, Kedah
Coach wants players to manage emotions against Perak
PETALING JAYA: Emotions can run high during football games and it’s good to keep them in check.
But Kedah paid a heavy price for losing their cool and two of their players – midfielder Fadzrul Danel Nizam and centreback Rodney Celvin Akwensivie – were sent off in their 0-1 defeat against Terengganu in the Super League match at the Darulaman Stadium last week.
Both of them will be missing in the match against Perak at the Ipoh Stadium today due to suspension.
And to add to Kedah’s misery, they will also not have several players due to injuries.
Key players who are still confined in a treatment room for various knocks are goalkeeper Ifwat Akmal, influential Brazilian centreback Renan Alves, midfielder Syazwan Zainon, centreback Syazwan Tajuddin and rightback Rizal Ghazali.
Coach Aidil Sharin has reminded his players to keep their temperament in check when they face Perak as he does not want to see more players suspended for future matches.
“I’ve told them on the importance of staying calm in any situation – whether it’s before, during or after the game. But I do understand that emotions tend to run high when decisions go against them,” said Aidil.
“Even world-class players have those episodes. Cristiano Ronaldo for instance, threw his armband and walked off the pitch when the linesman adjudged his goal to be offside when Portugal played Serbia in the World Cup qualifiers.
“If even he does that, imagine the frustration our players go through here too.
“We want the decisions to be fair ... our players won’t get mad unnecessarily if the decisions are sensible.
“But, I have told my boys to be more careful and just get on with the game. We do not want more suspensions since we have injuries in the team too. We have to be smarter in terms of managing our emotions.”
The game against Perak will surely be fiercely contested as both sides bring out their best in the ‘Northern Derby’.
Perak are having a rough start in the Super League as they have only collected eight points from eight games to be placed eighth in the league while Kedah are doing well as they are second with 16 points after eight games.
But Aidil said his boys would have to be cautious against the wounded Seladang.
“We will approach this game with the same mindset as the other games. Perak have a strong squad with strong foreign players. We respect them,” he said.
“As for those who are replacing our injured and suspended players, this is their best chance to prove themselves.”