| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam team manager Haji Md Noor bin Haji Hamid has expressed his hopes that the national team could deliver a good performance in the upcoming Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup qualifiers at Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
The national team will leave for Cambodia today for the four-team qualification round in which only the winner of the group will advance to the tournament proper at co-hosts Myanmar.
“Touching on preparations, we have already prepared in terms of technique training and fitness but what left is to decide how they can demonstrate their play in the game,” said Haji Md Noor in an interview with the media at the NFABD Artificial Field yesterday.
Their friendly tour in Negeri Sembilan last week allowed them time to fine-tune their strategy and during the friendly matches Haji Md Noor stated a number of players were able to demonstrate a good performance.
In the second half, the national team made changes to give playing time to the younger players where they were still feeling nervous and where inexperienced played a part although they still ran them close with the final score.
“We hope that with the training (after the friendly matches) we can improve to face the three teams in the AFF Suzuki Cup qualification round. Hopefully, we can deliver a really good performance with the training and the tactics where we will also implement a better strategy arrangement,” the team manager added.
“We also hope that the players can demonstrate their own individual performance during the match. Hopefully the players will not sustain any injuries in the friendly matches which served as a warm-up.”
The national players faced the tough and physical confrontations with the Malaysia Under-22 players as their opponents were also auditioning for the Southeast Asian Games on home soil next year.
Brunei national team players during a training session. – KHAIRIL HASSAN
The national team held training twice from 8am to 10am in the morning and from 4:30pm to 6pm daily except Sundays after the Eid festivities.
The national team initially held a selection stage where 35 players vied for a spot before it was trimmed down to 25 players including the DPMM FC players who were called up for international duty.
Haji Md Noor also hoped that the DPMM FC players who garner considerable experience could provide guidance to the younger players and help strengthen the squad.
The team manager is aware that the three teams have really stepped up in the international scene but the national team will try their best to deliver a good performance.
After the 2014 disappointment where the national team finished the qualifying group winless, the DPMM FC players have shown a good level of performance during the friendly matches and it is also hoped that under their guidance the younger players can quickly adapt with the situation despite pulling on the national jersey for the first time.
Rosmin Kamis, the eldest player in the squad aged 35, will resume his captaincy role for the national team while his DPMM FC’s club teammate Shahrazen Said will be vice-captain.
The team manager called for the players to put up a highly-spirited fight and give their all whilst showing their competitive side against the region’s supposedly weaker teams.
Haji Md Noor also warned the players to be cautious of the opposition which previously used to be of equal strength as them.
“If we see the teams that are participating in the qualifiers such as Cambodia and Laos, they were traditionally on par with Brunei but now they have really stepped up,” he said.
He added that they have assessed their opponents through video recordings.
Asked how they would deal with the talented individuals from the opposition, Haji Md Noor emphasised that they have already devised a strategy mostly centred towards the nature of their defending.
“There are systems which we can use depending on who we’re playing against.
“We can adjust positions and our formation depending on the other team’s strengths.”
He concluded that there is a vast difference in playing standard when comparing national league football with international football particularly in terms of movement and how to make use of possession.
Meanwhile, coach Ali Mustafa echoed the team manager’s sentiments that the national team can deliver a good performance and try their best to make improvements.
The coaching staff have looked the position of the players during the friendly matches and Ali added that all players proved that they can provide competition and do their best.
“We hope that we can provide a good result but nevertheless we will try to make improvements from previous matches two years ago (in Vientiane),” added Ali.
The national team will train at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh.
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