July 10, 2023

In case you are wondering why nuggets is the picture accompanying this article, it’s because it’s past midnight, I am hungry, and after I typed “golden” in the title, I thought of nuggets. We head into this game with the unexpected bonus of knowing that Albirex dropped points and so our destiny is fully in our hands. Of course when I say that, I mean we must win all our remaining 7 games – no easy task. But it’s better than having to win all remaining 7 games, AND hope that Albirex somehow drop points in another game. Fans of the SPL will know that the club that made Albirex drop points, are our opponents tonight. We must escape a similar fate. With that as our goal, let’s go through some thoughts I have pre-game. DPMM played the game like a cup final I watched the DPMM-Albirex game on TV, and I think it is a real credit to the league that even though DPMM don’t really have anything to play for, they played like their lives depended on the result of the match. They chased down every ball, and really made it a very physical battle. And they did it in a disciplined way too, only committing 9 fouls, as compared to Albirex’s 15. Of their 3 yellow cards, only 1 was for a foul to stop a counter-attack. The other 2 were awarded for time-wasting when DPMM tried to cling on to their hard-earned point. I say DPMM don’t have anything to play for, not just because of their league position. Unlike other teams where the local players are playing for contracts, the majority of the DPMM squad don’t have many other Bruneians who can step in and fight for their starting spot, due to their domestic league back home not being a competitive or even a fully professional one. On top of that, I am told quite reliably there is very little incentive for them to try and win a contract in an overseas team, because some of these players actually wear two hats. They are footballers, but they are also sort of on the books of the Bruneian public service. So when they retire, they will be given jobs as policemen, or civil servants. This job security is hard to leave, and it is a reason why you see very few Bruneian footballers seek greener pastures elsewhere. You’d think a player like Hakeme Yazid would have no lack of offers from overseas teams in the region, but perhaps this is one of the reasons why we are unlikely to see him leave the country. But yeah I digress – they really played like this was a cup final, and in the end it did us a huge favour. Squad Rotation? We come into this game with one more day of rest as compared to DPMM – and the fact that they ran themselves ragged against Albirex may benefit us. I predicted that against Young Lions, we would rotate a little, but Coach Ranko went with an unchanged lineup. I might be wrong again, but I would be very surprised if we do not rotate this time. Including the Albirex game this Sunday, we will have played 3 games in 9 days, and given we have one of the deepest squads in the league, I will expect some changes. Hafiz Nor The first change I think will be Hafiz Nor. I fully expect Zulqarnaen Suzliman to come in for him, and it is not just because we might want to preserve his legs for the Albirex game. Hafiz Nor is already on three yellow cards, and can ill afford to pick up another one vs DPMM. If you look at our build-up play when we have the ball, Hafiz Nor seems the most natural fit for the right-sided position because he holds the width excellently, and has been trusted so far by Coach Ranko. The above graphic is taken from Zach’s excellent tactical analysis of Coach Ranko’s preferred formation, and so far Hafiz Nor has been trusted on the right. However, I think there is no reason why Zulqarnaen Suzliman cannot do an excellent job there too. His engine allows him to get up and down the right side, and in fact, perhaps a surprising statistic is that Mamat has 1 more assist than Hafiz Nor. Hafiz Nor has no assists this season, although he does have 2 goals. When we last faced Albirex, Hafiz Nor also had a better game than Mamat, so I think we can expect Mamat to start tonight, to ensure that Hafiz Nor is available for the Albirex game. Bailey Wright Singapore football’s worst-kept secret was finally revealed over the weekend. Bailey Wright is a Sailor. It is a very exciting signing given that he has come directly from one of the most competitive leagues in Europe – the EFL Championship. He has also gained a reputation over the years as a hard-nosed defender who is a gentleman off it. It is absolutely amazing to see all the tributes pouring in for him from Sunderland and Socceroo fans. When Kim Shin-Wook signed for us, it was a huge signing, no doubt, but the online comments were a lot more divided. For more on Bailey Wright, please read this excellent article by the club. Back to the game – I think we will want Bailey Wright to start in the game against Albirex, and therefore I think we will need to play him against DPMM first. I think it would be foolhardy to throw a new signing into the defence immediately, even if Bailey has already been in Singapore for some time, and attended our last 2 games. From highlights it looks like Bailey is a no-nonsense defender who likes to dive into tackles and emerge with the ball. Games sometimes turn on moments, and I can already imagine some of his full-blooded tackles bringing life to the crowd, helping to keep