KOTA KINABALU, Jan 30 — Sabah FC head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee has reminded his players not to be too pressured over the results of their pre-season friendly matches and the expectations of fans, but instead focus on continuing to improve their game.
Ong said he understood the fans’ hopes for Sabah FC to achieve victory in every match, but currently the coaching team was identifying the weaknesses and strengths of each player to prepare the club to face their Super League campaign in the Malaysian League this season.
According to him, Sabah FC’s 0-1 defeat to Premier League team Kuching City FC in their pre-season friendly match at the Likas Stadium here last night should not be used as an excuse to put pressure on the players, but instead be a lesson towards improving the squad’s performance.
“Our team lost due to counter attacks, this definitely gives us a lesson, the most important thing is not the result tonight (yesterday) but when starting the Malaysian League later we should not repeat mistakes or not score any goals.
“It’s normal for certain teams to bloom late, but we have to learn this during pre-season, we have to try and adapt, for me this is just the beginning and should not be stressed with situations like this, we have to learn,” he told reporters after last night’s match.
Sabah FC’s first friendly match on Jan 16 saw the team draw 1-1 with M3 League team Kinabalu Jaguar FC at the Likas Stadium.
Meanwhile, Ong said the presence of three Sabah FC import players scheduled to arrive next week would see changes to the game strategy he was planning for the team.
“However, this (import players absence) is not an excuse for losing (last night) but the players need to bounce back with a new spirit and work harder when the Malaysian League starts,” he said.
He said Sabah FC would face the national Under -23 squad in another friendly match next week and hoped the players could perform better in that match.
For this season, Sabah FC have retained two import players, namely defender Park Tae-Soo from South Korea and winger Saddil Ramdani from Indonesia, and the team will be further boosted with the arrival of the three other imported players. — Bernama
