SINGAPORE - Their chief striker Ikhsan Fandi is jet lagged, having arrived from Norway on Tuesday (June 4) and having spent the following day celebrating Hari Raya with his family.
While Fandi Ahmad acknowledged on Thursday that goals may be a problem at the June 7-9 Merlion Cup, the former national striker promised to stick to his attacking football ethos as his Under-22 side take on the Philippines at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday.
"I'm confident in tomorrow's game but the main problem is scoring goals," the 57-year-old said at the pre-tournament media conference at the Copthorne King's Hotel on Thursday. "We need composure in front of the goal. I hope he (Ikhsan) carries on his form but he just arrived, he hasn't had a session with us before and he's jet lagged.
"Yesterday there were celebrations the entire day until the evening and I think I saw him collapse at the end of the day so he needs a good rest. We have some restrictions on him but we will manage.
"I'm sure we will attack and my style is that I like to attack. We always play good high-pressing games. I think the boys are ready and hopefully, they will do another good showing like in the AFC Under-23 tournament qualifiers. We're looking forward to this."
Singapore were undefeated in three Asian Football Confederation U-23 qualifiers in March and scored five goals in the process, although they failed to make the tournament proper in January 2020.
Ikhsan, who has netted four goals in 11 games for Norwegian second-tier club Raufoss this season, told The Straits Times that he will try to replicate his club form for the national side, but "everybody has to play their part" if they were to beat Philippines to earn a place in Sunday's final against Thailand or Indonesia.
The 20-year-old pointed to the likes of Balestier Khalsa's Daniel Goh and Geylang International's Zikos Chua, and said: "We have new players now so I think they will bring something new to the team... some new players who might show themselves during this tournament.
Â
"Who knows, they might play a very big part for us."
Zikos, 17, is eager to make an impression in his first outing for the U-22s, having made his competitive debut for Geylang last year.
"I think they've selected us (youngsters) for a reason and we hope we can try and replicate the good things we've showcased in our clubs and hopefully bring it to the team and try to give our 100 per cent," said Zikos, who pointed to his aerial presence and link-up play as strengths.
"I'm definitely looking forward to the tournament, I think it's going to be a good experience."
While Fandi acknowledged that Thailand and Indonesia have both fielded under-strength teams for this tournament, he believes the competition is beneficial to his side's preparations for the Nov 30-Dec 11 SEA Games in the Philippines.
"At the end of the day, the SEA Games is our target and we want to do well. This tournament is the stepping stone for the boys to push the level higher," he said.
While he joked that his players may be "3kg up" after the Hari Raya festivities, he added: "We'll be fine. We'll give a good fight and a good show. I just hope the fans will come, put their Hari Raya celebrations aside to come and support the U-22 boys, give them more motivation and confidence.
"Hopefully, the real lions (the fans) will come and roar for us."
* Merlion Cup tickets are available at the stadium or online via www.fas.org.sg/tickets
Coach Koeman sees 'great future' for Dutch national team. March 24, 2019 Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman before the match REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw England in the second Nations League
Football: Coach Ronald Koeman sees 'great future' for Dutch
singaporetoday.net/index.php/2019/06/04/football-coach-ronald-koeman-sees-great-future-for-dutch-team-ahead-of-nations-league-semis/
Football: Coach Ronald Koeman sees 'great future' for Dutch team ahead of Nations League semis 2 ngày ago Singapore Today (REUTERS) - The Netherlands head into this week's Nations League semi-finals with one of the best young squads the country has produced in recent years and Dutch football can once again look forward to a bright
Football: Coach Ronald Koeman sees 'great future' for Dutch
bigsportsnews.com/soccer/football-coach-ronald-koeman-sees-great-future-for-dutch-team-ahead-of-nations-league-semis/
Football: Coach Ronald Koeman sees 'great future' for Dutch team ahead of Nations League semis 06/04/2019 (REUTERS) - The Netherlands head into this week's Nations League semi-finals with one of the best young squads the country has produced in recent years and Dutch football can once again look forward to a bright future, manager Ronald
Soccer-Coach Koeman sees 'great future' for Dutch national team
LONDON (AFP) - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said talisman Harry Kane could be out of the rest of the season after he limped off injured in the second half of his team's 1-0 Champions
Harry Kane: Tottenham striker could miss run-in - Mauricio
Former Barcelona star Paulinho edged two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande into the AFC Champions League last 16 Wednesday, while title-holders Kashima Antlers had to come from a goal behind to
Supersub Smyth stars as Northern Ireland stun South Korea
Soccer: Parris and White strike to give England victory over Scotland June 9, 2019 Soccer Football - Women's World Cup - Group D - England v Scotland - Allianz Riviera, Nice, France - June 9, 2019 England's Ellen White celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Soccer: Parris and White strike to give England victory over
Napoli 'keeper Ospina out of hospital after head injury scare AFP March 19, 2019, 12:45 AM UTC Napoli's Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina (L) resumed playing after receiving a knock to his head
Napoli keeper Ospina out of hospital after head injury scare
LONDON (REUTERS) - Liverpool opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (Jan 12), while Arsenal's poor away form continued
Liverpool extend lead at top, Arsenal slip up at West Ham
Late strikes from Godin and Griezmann keep Atletico in title chase. MADRID (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid left it late to see off Girona 2-0 at home on Tuesday as strikes from Diego Godin and Antoine Griezmann kept up their faint hopes of catching La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Late strikes from Godin and Griezmann keep Atletico in title
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - December 16, 2018 Brighton's Solly March scores their first goal RE
Chelsea hold on against Brighton to consolidate top four spot
Liverpool powered back to the top of the Premier League as Xherdan Shaqiri inspired a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United, while Arsenal's 22-match unbeaten run was shattered by a shock 3-2 defeat at Southampton on Sunday.
Google bucks soaring smartphone prices with new Pixel Macron camp seeks reset after EU campaign 'false start' Naples Mayor blames gangster show Gomorrah for outbreaks of youth violence in
News From June 2017 - Business Directory - The Internet Pages
Game of many returns for Gunners LONDON • Arsenal manager Unai Emery will face a familiar foe when the Gunners look to move a step closer to Europa League glory at Rennes today. French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa endured an unhappy two years under Emery at Paris Saint-Germain where he was frozen out for an entire season and made to train with
Gunners boosted by return of four players | Arseblog News
Football: Sanchez haunts Arsenal as Man United maintain perfect record under Solskjaer LONDON (AFP) - Alexis Sanchez came back to haunt Arsenal as the Chilean opened the scoring in Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win on Friday (Jan 25) to maintain Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 100 percent record as caretaker manager.
Sanchez haunts Arsenal as Man Utd maintain perfect record
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has made a bizarre claim about Tottenham Hotspur following their stadium move. The Lilywhites celebrated their long-awaited move to their new stadium in midweek with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, which lifted Mauricio Pochettino's side back to third in the table - although Arsenal have a game in hand.
Rumour Has It: Tottenham to splash the cash for Poch
0 comments:
Post a Comment