AFF Cup: Malaysia coach says Singapore 'plays to defend' but counterpart vows to 'attack as much as possible'
File photo of a Singapore football match against Malaysia in 2019. (Photo: Facebook/Football Association of Malaysia)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's national football head coach Kim Pan-gon on Monday (Jan 2) called Singapore a team that "plays to defend", ahead of their 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup group match decider on Tuesday.
His counterpart Takayuki Nishigaya said however that the Lions - who only need a draw to qualify for the semifinals - will aim to play aggressively in their away tie at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Singapore's tactical approach has not changed much since the last time the two teams met in an international friendly in March 2022, said Kim during a pre-match press conference.
The game ended in a 2-1 win for Singapore's Lions at home, giving the South Korean his first defeat at the helm of Malaysia's national team.
He said Singapore’s gameplay contradicted the tactical approach of his side, which he described as more proactive and in search of "high-quality", entertaining games.
“To me (Singapore) in last March and this tournament not much different ... They care about defensive, drop down and look for a counter-attack but Malaysia is different," said Kim.
"We want to be proactive, we want to dominate the game, give energetic and dynamic football play to achieve a win so we are different from them.
"But I think they have their own style and we will fully respect their style and approach," he added.
After Singapore's goalless draw against Vietnam last Friday, Malaysia have no choice but to record a win to qualify for the semifinals, to avoid an early exit for the second consecutive edition of the regional tournament.
Kim said he expects Singapore to stick with a defensive approach for their encounter in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday evening.
“They will use their full advantage to drop down and pack the defence to secure ... So depends on us, no one will help us. We will go there and try to ... deliver a win to the fans and that is our job,” said the 53-year-old.
Kim said his players were aware of the significance of the match and the need for each individual to maintain focus to secure three points.
“I believe our Harimau Malaya players are very matured and professional. Tomorrow they will respect the opponent and play the right approach to fight. I believe through this approach we can deliver a good performance and also hopefully we can deliver good results to fans,” he said.
Singapore's Japanese coach Nishigaya said he has instructed his players to stick to their approach of defending as a team and attacking when opportune.
“Of course we have the advantage in knowing a point is enough and that Malaysia need to win but that won’t change the way we play," he said during a pre-match press conference.
“We have much respect for the opposition but we want to attack as much as possible and whilst we expect Malaysia to be aggressive we also want to do the same."
Singapore midfielder Anumanthan Kumar, 28, said the team was excited ahead of the Causeway derby.
“We’re ready and we know this will be a big game. Many of us have played in these matches before, so that will help with the crowd management and we’re excited because we grew up watching these matches," he said.
“More important than all that, we have a clear objective to get the three points and qualify."
Four-time champions Singapore are second in their group with seven points, behind Vietnam on goal difference. Malaysia are third with six points.
The last time Malaysia beat Singapore was in a group match at the 2014 AFF Cup, where two late goals in a 3-1 win at the National Stadium in Kallang helped them advance to the semifinals.
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