| Fadhil Yunus |
DPMM FC head coach Steve Kean has made eradicating the defence’s frailties his next challenge in the wake of a 4-3 defeat against title-chasing Tampines Rovers FC in the S League last Saturday.
On a night where the ‘Gegar Gegar’ men badly needed to step up with a reaction following their collapse in their previous outing in Singapore, Jermaine Pennant’s 79th minute strike saw hopes of retaining the title fast fading.
However, Kean acknowledged signs of recovery his side have made mainly in attack and showing glimpses of the work they have carried out in training.
Kean has been placing emphasis on winning individual battles after admitting that his side have lost too many of them which they kept at a minimum on their way to the S League title last year.
“Today we saw dramatic improvement in our attacking play and what we’ve been working on for the past few weeks: getting the second balls and gaining possession back,” Kean said during a post-match press conference at the Jurong West Stadium in Singapore.
“It’s just that we are not defending well as a team and that’s our next challenge,” added Kean.
DPMM FC head coach Steve Kean has made stamping out the defence’s frailties his next challenge. – FADHIL YUNUS
The former Blackburn Rovers manager has admitted that winning the title will be “difficult” but aimed to start fresh with progress in cup competitions.
“To win the league is very difficult for us now, but we are hoping to start a clean slate and do well in cup competitions,” he said.
He also pointed out that his charges did not deserve to lose based on the amount of chances adding that he did not necessarily mean they deserved to win.
Meanwhile, Kean’s opposite number Akbar Nawas felt the victory took some load of pressure off him after much talk about him being in charge of his first match.
Nawas, who succeeded V Sundramoorthy, has certainly taken notice of the response the S League holders made in their best efforts to attain instant results despite the much-needed win.
“Credit has to go to DPMM FC for coming out to fight every ball and that put us on the back foot a few times. It was a positive result for us in the end, but we are still very much a work in progress,” he said.
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