THE LIONS XII: MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

by Fandi Ahmad

I feel that the Lions XII have done relatively well in the Malaysia Super League so far but as much as I'm happy for the coaching staff and players with their two victories against Kuala Lumpur and Sabah, I feel that they still have a long way to go.

Taking nothing away from the team, they are indeed a young and promising side for the future. At this point in time however, I have not seen a particular playing style that they have adopted. These new players are still trying to adjust to the competition, which is more aggressive; fast paced and definitely more intimidating with more spectators in attendance than our S-League matches.

Hopefully, the players will be able to adjust fast enough to convince the supporters that they are worthy of representing their country and at the same time prove to their Malaysian opponents that they belong in this competition.

How can they achieve this? Firstly, they need to bring in a proven striker as the present captain, Sharil Ishak, is more of a playmaker than an out-and-out striker. He is playing alone up front and has done well to hold the ball and distribute it before making the runs but he definitely needs some support.

Secondly, they have to cut out the long balls as they do not have players who are quick enough or even smart enough to keep the ball upfront except for Agu Casmir, who is out injured.

What the Lions XII should be doing is keeping the ball on the ground but that requires a lot of fitness to execute. Unfortunately, the boys have shown, especially in the final quarter of matches, to be severely lacking in match fitness, and this is simply a recipe for disaster.

Lastly, they need to start producing more combination attacking play and to get more bodies going forward in attack. With the added firepower up front, this will give the team more options and avenues to attack the opposition.

The big plus about the Lions XII despite being only recently formed is that their defence has been relatively good with Baihakki as my pick as the team's stand-out performer so far. Apart from Baihakki, vice-captain Harris, for me, comes in a close second because he has shown his willingness and versatility of playing at centre-back when called upon this season.

Another good thing to take note of is that the team is growing each time they play and they can only get better with more experience. The players need to be able to adjust to the demands of the long campaign especially with all the traveling involved. Injuries are bound to happen and it’s extremely important that the guys pay attention to the rigours of the league over the next few months.