November 24, 2023

While all the supporters are already excited about next week’s high-stakes clash against Bangkok United, who are unbeaten in all competitions this season, there is still a cup game to navigate today and that’s what this article will be focusing on. If we are being realistic, this is the best chance of silverware for the Sailors, and we should not turn our nose up at any competition – we simply have not won enough to justify such an attitude. However, with one foot already in the semi-finals, and Bangkok United looming in the horizon, will there be some rotation? How will Shahdan’s unfortunate injury affect Hougang? Read on to find out! Will Ranko Rotate? Yup that joke has no relation to whether Coach Ranko will rotate or not. The last time our Sailors played was that historic win vs Jeonbuk on 8 Nov 2023, more than 2 weeks ago. In that time, we’ve had the international break, so some of our Sailors have been playing in high-level games. It doesn’t get much higher level than vs South Korea in the Seoul World Cup Stadium, and then back home against a Thai team that plays at a higher intensity than us. Some of our players such as Hariss, Shawal, Lionel and Anu saw significant gametime, while others such as Hami Syahin, Adam Swandi and Chris van Huizen did not play as much. In deciding whether to rotate all our first-teamers, I am sure Coach Ranko will give some thought to ensuring that some of our players who haven’t played that much football during the international break remain as sharp as possible. And the above applies to our foreign players as well, who will not have played since the Jeonbuk game. In Diego’s case, his last game was in fact 1 mth ago against Jeonbuk in Jeonju. So for the likes of Richairo, Diego, Maxime, this Hougang game is actually a good chance for them to get competitive match action to tune up for the game in Bangkok that is likely to be very intense. Checking precedents (haha that is what I do in my day job) to see how Coach Ranko rotated before crucial Champions League fixtures doesn’t really reveal much. Maxime and Richi saw 45min of action before being substituted off (even though the team wasn’t winning) in the lead-up to the Bangkok United game, but played the full game before the team travelled to Jeonju. Richi saw 60min of action before the Kitchee game. No real pattern, I guess. Will Coach Ranko take into account the fact that our team plays on Saturday and then has to travel to Bangkok, while Bangkok Utd played on Friday night, rotated a number of players, has one more day of rest, and does not need to travel? Surely he’ll be tempted to do so given that we have one foot in the semifinals already? Permutations for Qualification The tie-breaker for qualification if teams finish level on points, is goal difference. For us to be dumped out of the Cup – we will need to lose to Hougang by 6 goals, and then also see Tanjong Pagar United beat Balestier Khalsa by a truckload of goals. For example, if we lose 6-0, and TPU beats Balestier Khalsa by 7 goals, then all three teams will be on 6 points, but our goal difference will be +4, while Hougang’s will be +6, and TPU’s will be +5. This will see us crash out of the Cup. That’s as unlikely as Joseph winning the Ballon D’Or, or indeed the affection of any girl he has a crush on – not happening anytime soon. It’s just too unlikely a set of circumstances to expect two freak results on the same day. And this is why some supporters are urging Coach Ranko to rest the whole team. They are eager to see the likes of Nathan Mao playing a full match, they want to see Rusyaidi and Harith play, they want Pashia to be running at the top of our attack, getting in behind past the Hougang defenders. Part of the motivation is to see these players, but part of it is undoubtedly also because they want all our key players to be wrapped in cotton wool. For the reasons mentioned above, the lineup tonight will probably be a mixture of players being played for different reasons. Midfield Control Hougang come into this one with Zulfahmi Arifin having left the club to ply his trade in Indonesia, and Shahdan Sulaiman having unfortunately injured himself on international duty. It’s a real pity for Shahdan especially, who has worked so hard to come back from an injury he sustained early this year. You gotta feel for him. You gotta feel for Hougang as well, because in the span of a few weeks they have lost both midfielders who are right at home in the middle of the park, linking play for the rest of the team. The two of them are also set-piece experts and are capable of cracking one in from range. Their loss is a significant one for Hougang. And then if you think that maybe Kiki Krajcek will be there to hold the midfield, even that is in doubt because he did not play in Hougang’s last game due to injury. Whether he has recovered from injury remains to be seen. Our task becomes much easier without them. I can already picture a midfield of Anu, Adam Swandi and Diego Lopes just wreaking havoc in the middle without Shahdan and Zulfahmi there to hurt us. Deadly Djordje A large reason for the upturn of fortunes for Hougang this season is that they replaced Brian Ferreira with Djordje Maksimovic. While Brian lacked cutting edge in front of goal, hardly worried defenders with his movement, and didn’t track back to defend, Djordje is the polar opposite. His goals have got Hougang some results, and we should be wary of him. He has 5 goals in his last