NAM DINH, May 6 — Malaysia is ready to kick off the men’s football campaign in the 31st SEA Games with a positive result when they meet Thailand in their first Group B match at the Thien Truong Stadium here, tomorrow night.
The national Under-23 (U-23) squad head coach Brad Maloney said that although his team respected Thailand as one of the favourites but that it would not stop them from giving their best performance to earn the very important first three points.
“Of course, we have the utmost respect for Thailand, they are the tournament favourites and obviously champions of this tournament so many times.
“So with the utmost respect for Thailand and by the same token my players are fearless regardless of who is in front of them and we will approach the game with a positive attitude, I like to think that we can achieve positive results,” he told reporters at a pre-match press conference earlier today.
The last time the two teams met was at the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Mongolia, October last year which ended in a goalless draw.
Meanwhile, commenting on the final list of 20 players for the biennial Games, Maloney said he was very satisfied with the combination of old and new players and the commitment they showed.
“I’m very happy with this group, the majority of these players we have worked together with for the last two or three years and on top of that we do have a hand of full of new faces, but I believe that this is the best group of players at this age, available for selection for this tournament, I am satisfied with that,” he said.
In the meantime, Thailand’s head coach who is also in charge of the Thailand senior squad Alexandre Polking said his team will use the same system as the national team in their quest to achieve success here.
“We want to play the same way we are playing in the AFF Cup… I meant that should be the target for all ages in the national team now. We are trying to get the same lineup to go or the same system to go and we have players with that characteristics here, even though we are missing some of them,” he said.
Polking also said he did not consider his team as the favourites, but instead felt that Vietnam and Indonesia had the best potential to emerge champions because of the preparation they made.
After the Thailand clash, Malaysia is set to face Laos on May 11, Singapore (May 14) and Cambodia (May 16) at the same venue. The two best teams are set to qualify for the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Malaysian midfielder Muhammad Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi said the presence of Thailand’s senior squad coach, Alexandre Polking to guide their younger team did not affect the national squad’s preparations and focus for the tournament.
“I believe in our coach (Maloney) because he already knows all the players who are here and he knows the lineup can follow his tactics. He has also gathered players who understand his plan and can carry it out on the field.
“For me, this is also an exposure for the U-23 squad, and we will give it our all, as well, I believe in what my teammates can do in the match (against Thailand),” said the 21-year-old who also plays for Selangor FC.
Last month, Polking, a Brazilian coach, was named as the Thai squad’s head coach for the 31st SEA Games after helping the senior team win the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup 2020 in early January.
The success of winning the biennial title came just three months after he was appointed coach of the War Elephants squad in late September last year, to replace the sacked Japanese coach Akira Nishino.
— Bernama
