Having crashed out of the AFC Champions League in midweek, tonight’s clash against old foes Tampines Rovers allows our Sailors a quick chance at redemption. Will fatigue play a part in this game? Will the absence of Yasir Hanapi be a key one? Let’s dive into some of my thoughts about the game.
Quick Thoughts on Bangkok Loss
Sorry for not getting a proper post-match thoughts article out for our loss against Bangkok Utd. I am still on holiday with the wife, and if I spend too much time doing SailorFanTalk stuff, I suspect she won’t be best pleased haha. Sorry also that this extended trip means that I will not be able to do a post-match interview at the stadium. It sucks to break the streak – we’ve done one for every game this season, but I guess it ends tonight. (Joseph is also busy with a wedding – not too late for some last minute cold feet from the bride or groom eh? Jk jk)
The team came in for some criticism midweek. Generally, there was a feeling that our boys should have set out to attack a little bit more, especially as a win was realistically the only way we could qualify for the group stage (finishing 2nd is not a guarantee that we would be one of the best 2nd-placed teams). There was also plenty of criticism for Anu – for not jumping in the wall. My feelings on this are a little mixed.
When goals get conceded, people often tend to get a little black-and-white or a little simplistic in their analysis of the goal. In this case, perhaps it really is black-and-white, so let me say it loud and clear – Anu should have jumped. On this point, I agree with the many people online who said that he should have jumped. If he had a time machine, he’d get back in time and he’d jump.
Was there a miscommunication with the keeper? Was it fear that the ball would hit him? Misjudgment of the ball? I guess we will never know.
What I do know is that regardless of who made the error and the magnitude of the error, I do not believe it warrants online harrassment or over-reaction. I saw shameful behaviour from so-called “fans”, who tagged Anu in Instagram, and told him he should retire, or that the goal was his fault. Hey, if you were a true fan, maybe don’t rub it in? And certainly don’t make it personal. You can point out the error, but also show some compassion, love, and some support for the players you are supposed to support. Even if you think there are better players than him that the club should sign, that can’t change till next season – so get behind our boys please.
Also, and this is the more important point. We lost by a goal to Bangkok Utd, and we all know that margins at the top level are fine. But if you want to go down the route of assigning blame, how about we blame Zharfan also for not at least diving to get the ball? How about we blame Shawal Anuar for not just not jumping, but ducking as well? The ball could well have gone right above Shawal’s head – but it went over Anu’s. This is an outcome-based criticism of Anu when Shawal did the same or even worse.
How about we blame Maxime for wasting 1 or 2 chances to put better balls into the box when we got the rare counter-attack? How about we blame Shawal for missing the 1v1? How about we blame Rui Pires for a few misplaced passes in midfield? Does he get insulated from criticism more because mistakes in his role seldom directly lead to conceded goals?
Where I am going with this is simply that in supporting a team, you should not be singling out players for abuse. It’s a team game after all. You can criticise them, but let’s be fair and balanced in our criticism, and even then, let’s be a little kinder with the actual words we use.
Back to analysis of the game – our Sailors will be raring to go to show that despite the loss, they are still the top local side, and what better way to do that than to do it against our old rivals on their home patch? Speaking of home patch…
Pitch Imperfect
The first leg of the semi-final will be held at Our Tampines Hub, which was used by SAF for a passing-out parade just yesterday. Hundreds of people marched around the hallowed grounds of Tampines Rovers, potentially causing damage to it. This is not without precedent – earlier on in the year, a Tampines game was postponed due to poor pitch conditions after a football tournament was held there. Could there possibly be a postponement?
While I hope not, I think the condition of the pitch could still adversely affect Tampines. As we’ve seen this season, Tampines likes playing a controlled game revolving around numerous short passes in the backline.
With a pitch that might have some slight tears lying around, it may be good for the Sailors because they are capable of playing some much more direct football than Tampines, who rely on their quantity of passes. In fact, this was their downfall against us because some sloppy passing led to Maxime capitalising to score a wonderful chip.
Oh, and that reminds me – who gave the ball away?
Yasir Hanapi
He is suspended after his reckless foul led to a red card against Geylang in a group stage match. That is definitely good news cos he’s the captain. His industry in the middle of the pitch is an example for all, and sets the tone sometimes for some very ferocious intense Tampines pressing.
Besides that, let me hit you with a quick stat attack on why he is so influential for the team –
- He has scored 7 goals and got 3 assists in the SPL this season.
- He is 3rd top scorer for Tampines in the SPL, with Faris on 8 goals and Boris on 17 goals.
- He is 3rd top assister for Tampines in the SPL, with 3 assists. Faris has 5 assists, and Joel Chew has 9.
- He has also recorded the 2nd most Shots on Target for Tampines this season, behind Boris Kopitovic.
However, it is worth noting that Yasir was also absent when his side came away from Jurong East Stadium with a draw, which is always an impressive result against Albirex. His key teammate was playing, and did manage to score a penalty.
Boris Kopitovic
Boris has 17 goals in the SPL this season. For many strikers, that would be a very decent tally. However, for Boris, I am sure this represents a bit of a disappointment because of his stellar form last year. Last season, he hit Lestienne-like stats, with 35 goals and 17 assists in 28 league games. There were only 6 games where Tampines’ opponents managed to keep him out.
This season has been less prolific for the big Montenegrin forward. In fact, out of his 17 goals, 7 have been penalties. This is why there has been this perception from neutrals, rival fans, and even Tampines fans alike that Boris is not in good form. I am sure he is capable of much better, but hopefully we don’t get to witness it in the next 2 games.
Stats aside, Boris is a player who manages to take alot of attention away from the rest of his teammates, due to a combination of his size, ability, and his antics. If you get suckered into playing his game, he will turn you, buy a foul, or get a shot away. A former Singapore international player said this about Boris – “just give him a bit more space, don’t let him back up into you, he will try to spin you. Just give him space.”
As a Sailors fan, I have seen first-hand the damage he can do to us and has done to us in the past. This season he has been much quieter against us, but he still managed to score an “electrifying” penalty. Fun little nugget of info – the only time we beat Tampines this season was when Boris didn’t start.
He already has 2 goals and 2 assists in this year’s Singapore Cup, so he’s certainly one to watch out for. If we keep him quiet, then I think that’s more than half the job done. And if we need a strong physical presence to keep him quiet, we can perhaps count on our Aussie centreback.
Bailey’s Back, Alright!
What a nightmare start it has been for Bailey. Sent off on debut, and then picking up two injuries, one after working so hard to come back to first-team action. It was heartbreaking to see him come on for a cameo against Tanjong Pagar United in the Cup, and then almost immediately pick up an injury again. Hopefully this time round, he proves to be fit as a fiddle, or we will really have to think about getting him to wear lucky charms in his shinpads or something from now on.
So far, I like what I’ve seen from Bailey. He is uncompromising, is a threat from set pieces, and he is also an absolute gentleman off the pitch. However, not all fans are convinced yet, and I can see why. There are still moments in games when he has not reached the high standards you’d expect from someone who’s playing in the Championship before.
In total, he has seen the pitch just 6 times for us, which is quite insane if you think about it, considering his debut was on 11 July, and we’ve played a ton of games since then.
Speaking of playing a ton of games, I wonder if Coach Ranko will rotate a little to give us some fresh legs on the pitch, because we had a midweek game to navigate in Thailand, while Tampines could focus fully on training for tonight’s game. Also, in the month of Oct and Nov, we have played 6 times, as compared to them having only played twice. Will their fresh legs prove to be crucial in the next 4 days?
Conclusion
Despite the tired legs, I think Yasir’s suspension will be crucial. If we turn to the likes of Adam Swandi and Hami Syahin in midfield, this more mobile pairing may be able to get the better of whoever is fielded in the Tampines midfield.
We are out of the Champions League, we didn’t win the league – this is our last chance of silverware. We are clear favourites to win it, so let’s not F it up.
COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE!
Score Prediction
Joseph and I predict the scores and track our success in a table. Stay tuned to find out who is the prediction king!
3 points for exact scoreline predicted correctly, 2 points for predicting the winner and margin of victory correctly (but not the exact scoreline), and 1 point for predicting the outcome correctly (win, lose or draw).
Eddy’s prediction: Tampines 1 LCS 3
Joseph’s prediction: Tampines 0 LCS 1
Written by Eddy Hirono
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