Positive signs early in Ogura's tenure, but much to do for new coach and Lions, say football observers

SINGAPORE: In the words of former footballer Shasi Kumar, it has been quite an "interesting" two weeks for the Singapore national team.

Indeed. 

There has been no shortage of drama, controversy and entertainment on and off the pitch over Singapore's home and away fixtures against China.

Last Thursday, the Lions came from two goals down to peg China to an unexpected 2-2 draw at the National Stadium.

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While Singapore fans were delighted, their opponents faced heavy criticism. Captain Zhang Linpeng announced his retirement from international football due to the "humiliating" result, then made a U-turn. 

And at the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium on Tuesday (Mar 26), China beat Singapore 4-1, a game that was turned on its head by a controversial penalty decision in the second half.

Speaking to CNA, Shasi and former footballer Rhysh Roshan Rai noted that there have been several positive signs early in the reign of new coach Tsutumo Ogura, but that there is still a long way to go.

These include an aggressiveness in the Lions' press, support options for players on the ball as well as a higher defensive line, said Rai, now a commentator and pundit.

"There are some good signs, but it is still really, really very early stages for him (Ogura)," he added.

"He's going to have time now to settle in, and really plan out a few things. But it's far too early to say whether this whole thing is going to be a massive success or not."

Shasi, who is also a commentator, said that Ogura's approach has been encouraging, as was the Japanese coach's willingness to start more younger and inexperienced players.

One of them was 24-year-old Ryhan Stewart, who both Shasi and Rai agreed was one of Singapore's top performers over both games.

TIME WILL TELL

Former Japan assistant coach Ogura took over the hot seat just last month on the back of a string of dismal results by the Lions that culminated in the sacking of coach Takayuki Nishigaya.

Prior to this appointment, Ogura’s last role was at Japanese club Tokyo Verdy as assistant coach. The team finished third in the J2 League last season, and won promotion through the play-offs to the top tier of Japanese football.

He was also a former assistant coach of the Japanese national team (2006-2010) as well as the Olympic team (2010-2012).

Both Shasi and Rai noted that it is far too early to judge the impact Ogura has had.

"It's very important to put things into perspective," Shasi said. "The coach is new ... He needs not (just) two games, he needs more games (for us) to judge him." 

"It is a good start," said Rai. "We want to now see that spirit, that fight carry on and continue, and consistency start to develop."

Earlier, midfielder Jacob Mahler had also said that Ogura "installed belief" in the team after he came on.

"It certainly looks like the players have a bit more belief," said Rai. "What was nice to see was that Singapore were not afraid of standing up to some of the challenges made."

And while the penalty on Tuesday changed the game completely, Rai believes that it was a fair outcome ultimately.

"The 4-1 was a result which flattered China but ultimately over the game, when you look at the opportunities China had, how much control they had in most parts of the game, I feel that they deserved to win that one," he added.

"The award of the penalty was soft and it definitely had an impact in swinging the momentum of the game."

PERFORMANCE, NOT JUST RESULTS

There remain many areas that Ogura need to work on, said Shasi and Rai.

"The change is there in terms of the way we play, but I wouldn't say there is a stark contrast (to under Nishigaya)," said Shasi, who noted that Ogura also has the same set of players as his predecessor.

"Possession-wise, I think we need to do a bit better in terms of quality because we tend to give the ball away."

"There are still certain situations where players are perhaps switching off a little bit in defence," added Rai. "The second game against China, we saw Singapore get caught out a number of times on the counter-attack, not only when they were chasing the game but earlier in the first half."

There is also room for improvement tactically when it comes to individual roles, said Shasi. But at the same time, these are things that can be solved, he added.

"There's loads to do and to be fair to the coach, I think he knows it. Even after the first game, he said he was not happy and that's a good sign," Shasi said. "He's not getting carried away."

Another task for Ogura would be to rejuvenate the side as the older players reach the tail end of their international careers.

“Moving forward, I think he needs to make some important decisions on who he can bring on to freshen things up,” Shasi said.

Following Tuesday's loss to China, the Lions sit bottom of their World Cup qualifying group with a solitary point.

They have two games remaining - against Asian heavyweights South Korea at home and away to Thailand - and must win both matches in June to stand any chance of progressing to the next round of qualifying.

Given the gap from the other sides in the group, what is key in the final games will be the performances rather than the results, said Shasi and Rai.

"Being realistic, we are probably not going to get a result but again, it's about the performance and trying to build on these two games (against China)," said Shasi. 

While Singapore played well in patches against China, the challenge will be to translate this to longer periods of upcoming games, added Rai.

"The Thailand game will be a nice test as well because they are a very strong side, but they are also a Southeast Asian team and we've got the AFF (Championship) coming up at the end of the year," he said.

"That will be a nice little gauge in terms of where Singapore actually are in terms of trying to compete with Thailand, who are the top side in Southeast Asia at the moment."