KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — The Malaysia League or 2020 M-League which kicked off late last month, was surely affected when the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Malaysian Football League (MFL) announced all league events would be postponed following the Covid-19 outbreak.
Competing teams were also disallowed from holding training sessions or friendly matches during the movement control order (MCO) period beginning Wednesday (March 18) until March 31.
This could disrupt the teams’ preparations for the 2020 season, but for the players and coaches, it is a blessing in disguise for the remaining matches.
Selangor coach B. Sathianathan, whose team, the Red Giants, has struggled in the first four games of the Super League this season, said the “calm” period could be used by the coaches to evaluate and re-arrange their teams’ plans.
He said the break was an opportunity for him to find a new formula to overcome the team’s lack-lustre performance, which now ranks seventh, five points behind Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) which has collected 10 points.
“I need to come up with a new formula to improve the team’s performance after the defeat to Kedah the other day. I can also watch video clips of the match and identify the weaknesses.
“At the moment, I communicate with players via telephone. I often tell them what weaknesses need to be addressed, motivate them and suggest plans for the team,” he told Bernama.
The 61-year-old former national coach said the MCO has also benefited his players who are recovering from injuries.
Sharing his sentiment was Melaka team coach Zainal Abidin Hassan who is steadfast in encouraging his players to maintain their fitness by training at home according to the training modules.
He said he would monitor their progress during the Super League suspension period, with fitness a priority during this period of inaction.
“As a coach, I have to ensure my players maintain their level of performance so I told them to train on their own in order to maintain their fitness. We have a lot of new tactical suggestions and plans, “said the 57-year-old coach.
Melaka currently ranks third in the Super League, sharing six points with Pahang which is at fourth-place after four games.
Meanwhile, Pahang head coach Dollah Salleh said the suspension of the league had somewhat affected his team’s performance which failed to score any points in the first two games before winning the last two.
However, Dollah, who led the Tok Gajah squad to win the 2013 Malaysia Cup and 2018 FA Cup, is not too worried as he believes his line-up will use this ‘rest’ period to train at home.
“They are professionals. All this while I know that they are training extra at home because they have equipment like exercise bikes and treadmills. So I am not worried although training on the field is necessary before the league resumes,” said the 56-year-old football legend.
The MFL, as the M-League administrative body has yet to decide on the duration of the postponement but its chief executive officer Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan was quoted as saying that he had made plans if matches have to be postponed until next June.
At the same time, the three charismatic local coaches are hoping for the best so that football continues to become Malaysia’s number one sport and enjoyed by all the races together. — Bernama
