Well… I guess Malaysian were a very happy lot this past week or so when we had the ‘so called’ 3 out of the top four teams. Why so called…well we can throw in Manchester City and Tottenham in the fray and make it the ‘top 6′. Pushing that aside, Malaysia benefited a lot from the visit, playing against world class sides and showing them that we are no pushover though if you look at our ranking, you’d probably be laughing to your hearts content!
Going into details, the Arsenal game. This is the way to beat the Malaysian team. Free flow of short passes in small triangles. Perhaps the only team that is able to this better than Arsenal would be Barca. They can make the opposing team be mesmerized and watch the ‘pinball’ move just like any spectator in the stands and once the opponents are hipnotized then Barca will go for the kill. The only thing that Arsenal need for the coming EPL season, will be cooler heads in front of the pitch.
For the Liverpool match, they played a more open game which was to Malaysia’s liking. Because it was an open game, they had to rely highly on their technical abilities and skills. When this happens, more space is given and the nervous Malaysian players had more time to think about where they should pass the ball. So as time passes, the Malaysian players grew in confidence seeing that they could actually push the ball high up the pitch. The defence is where Liverpool should work on since there were a few instances where the defenders lost concentration allowing the space and time needed for the Malaysian players to ‘play’ football. Hence, the ability of the Malaysian to get themselves on the scoresheet. On the other end of the pitch, Ngog looked sharp and Aqulani was calling the shots from midfield often wrongfooting the Malaysians. If the Reds are considering selling them, please don’t because if they are not 1st team players then they are able replacements for the 1st team players providing good backup for the long long season ahead.
The Chelsea game, Chelsea simply didn’t play as a unit! The truth of the matter, if goaline technology was used, then they wouldn’t have won at all! Perhaps this is due to having a new coach and it is very early in the season for them to gel. Boas mentioned that they will be an attacking side. My question is “what attacking side?” Liverpool could,score 6, Arsenal 4, and Chelsea? If the assistant referee didn’t score for them, it would have been goaless.
Well, all in all it augurs well for the Malaysian National teams; the games will boost their confidence for their next mission and perhaps instill fear amongst the Southeast Asian teams if not the more illustrious Asian big boys.
