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
Qatar can win the Asian Cup for the first time, according to coach Felix Sanchez. The 2022 World Cup hosts booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 defeat of Iraq on Tuesday.
Who is Qatar's national football team coach Felix Sanchez?
SINGAPORE - As he ushered in 2019 on Tuesday (Jan 1), local football starlet Ikhsan Fandi had just one New Year resolution - to earn a playing contract in Europe. On Thursday morning, just over a day after his older brother Irfan flew to join Thai League 2 club Bangkok Glass, the 19-year-old headed to Norway for a trial with Raufoss IL.
Ikhsan Fandi scores 1st goal for Norwegian club Raufoss with
Pep Guardiola vowed not to walk away from Manchester City as he hit back at the Financial Fair Play allegations rocking the Premier League champions. In a wide-ranging press conference ahead of
Football: Van de Beek gives Ajax edge over Tottenham in semi
Football: Valencia chairman Murthy says King s Cup victory icing on the cake to a fine season - straitstimes There's a Petition to Stop Game of Thrones Showrunners From Making Star Wars
1b2 Students (Revision of Final Exam) | Mcargobe´S Blog-room
Paul Cox is refusing to let Mansfield's season drift to a conclusion now they are out of the play-off race. The Stags' 2-0 League Two defeat by Cheltenham on Monday ended their outside hopes of a
Pepe Reina demands strong finish - Sports Mole
3 things to know after Liverpool's incredible Champions League win. Reds achieve what many thought was impossible by coming from 3 down to beat Barcelona
How the world reacted to Liverpool's win over Barcelona
Wood double gives Burnley win over Cardiff in relegation scrap
Qatar vs Lebanon: World Cup host high on confidence Qatar's road to the 2022 World Cup starts against Lebanon in Group E of the Asian Cup, with coach Felix Sanchez in bullish mood.
He's our Guardiola: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez hailed after
Football: Jurgen Klopp mentality behind Liverpool's historic comeback, says Jose Mourinho. Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates winning the UEFA Champions league semi-final football
Jurgen Klopp mentality behind Liverpool's historic comeback
Football: Real Madrid sink to 10th league loss at hands of lowly Rayo. Real Madrid sink to 10th league loss at hands of lowly Rayo. "We played a spectacular game in every aspect. I dreamt
Eib News, Scores, Schedule, Stats, Teamsheet - soccer - MSN Sport
Solskjaer scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League final. This move may yet be the greatest masterstroke of all by Woodward and his fellow powerbrokers at Old
Ole Gunnar Solskjær - Wikipedia
Ake strikes late to sink nine-man Spurs Bournemouth, United Kingdom: Nine-man Tottenham Hotspur's bid for Champions League football was rocked on Saturday after Nathan Ake's last-gasp winner punished red cards for Son Heung-min and Juan Foyth and condemned Spurs to a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth.
Ake strikes late to sink nine-man Spurs - World Soccer Talk
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/05/04/ake-strikes-late-to-sink-nine-man-spurs/
Ake strikes late to sink nine-man Spurs AFP May 4, 2019 AFP No Comments Bournemouth (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Nine-man Tottenham Hotspur's bid for Champions League football was rocked on Saturday after Nathan Ake's last-gasp winner punished red cards for Son Heung-min and Juan Foyth and condemned Spurs to a 1-0 Premier League defeat at
Ake strikes late to sink nine-man Spurs - Breitbart
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 16, 2019, with the headline 'Klopp hails Salah as he targets 97-point total'. Print Edition | Subscribe Topics:
Klopp hails Salah as he targets 97-point total
0 comments:
Post a Comment