December 7, 2023

We’re using this picture for the second time because – well, it was much easier than expected. Tampines have proven very very tough opponents for us in the past few seasons, but this, this was a walk in Bishan Park. Replace the pavement with red carpet, and line the carpet with drink stalls handing out free drinks and snacks to fuel your walk. Then put on a pair of Adidas Ultraboosts (not sponsored) with hotel cushions strapped on below. And then maybe have strong people carry you so you don’t even have to walk. And an army of people behind you carrying portable fans to give you a breeze from behind. Ok there we have it – it was that easy. As much as the Sailors were brilliant, Tampines really did not show up. Let’s dive into some quick thoughts I had during and after the game. Tampines Did Not Show Up Over the past few seasons, Tampines have consistently been a thorn in our side, both on and off the pitch. Who can forget the pitchside scuffle between Kim Do-Hoon and Mustafic Fahrudin, when KDH headbutted Mustafic and Mustafic choked KDH? #allhandsonneck Or the brilliant Maxime equaliser at OTH last year to cancel out Boris Kopitovic’s opening goal, closely followed by an impressive freekick from Mehmedovic – all in 5 minutes? Or our Sailors getting completely outplayed at OTH early this season? Or Pedro Henrique’s last-minute winning goal after the #allhandsonneck incident? I could go on forever, but as I mentioned in my preview, we were neck and neck this season. We each had 1 win over the other, and 2 draws. It doesn’t get closer than that. Last season saw us beat them 3 times out of 4, but even then it was seldom comfortable. I spoke with Tampines fans who mentioned that fatigue may have been a factor. I am not so sure about that because I think if anything, our Sailors have had far more minutes in their legs, and travel too, considering our AFC Champions League fixtures. Perhaps our gruelling schedule has ironically helped us to manage the stresses of playing twice in three days better? If I could hazard a guess at another factor leading to Tampines’s lacklustre performances, I’d probably mention the mental blow of going behind so early in the game, which forced Tampines to come out and play. Not only did that perhaps bring down their morale a little, it also meant that we could keep on hitting them on the counter. How early was the goal you ask? 77 Seconds + Let’s Talk About Anu 77 seconds is all it took for us to open up their backline. Anu did well to dispossess our old boy Faris in midfield and play a nice pass to Diego Lopes. Diego’s run through the heart of the Tampines defence opened them up and allowed him to slip the ball into the path of Richairo who finished under the body of Syazwan. Anu’s part in this goal should be highlighted. It was really good work for him to win the ball, but the key to the goal was him quickly playing the ball forward. This was a consistent theme for him and Hariss all afternoon. Every opportunity they got after taking the ball from their opponent, they tried to move it forward quickly or switch it, to really stretch Tampines and hit them on the counter. It is really no wonder that Tampines stopped making adventurous runs after a while – they were worried about the Sailors’ threat on the counter. On the contrary, Anu and Hariss always looking to play the ball forward, and playing it accurately meant that the forwards could be bolder in their runs because they smelt blood each time the ball was won in midfield. The semi-final games have been good for Anu. Two good performances, and a goal to go along with it, that is the best way to reply to the haters who unfairly pinned the loss to Bangkok solely on his shoulders, and who repeatedly call for him to be replaced by other midfielders in the league. Let’s hope he puts in another commanding performance in the final! It Really Should Have Been More 3-0 is a commanding scoreline to win by, but I think even the most hardened Tampines Rovers fan will admit that it really should have been more. 9 minutes in, Nathan Mao’s shot right in front of goal from a Maxime pull-back was deflected wide. On 14 minutes, Anu’s lofted through-pass puts Richi in on goal, but he smashes the shot straight at Syazwan. 19 minutes in, Maxime really tests Syazwan, who does superbly to save from him. On 21 minutes, a Maxime corner kick makes its way to Richi near the penalty spot but he skies it. On 39 minutes, a big switch by Lionel Tan leads to some superb interplay involving Maxime, Diego, and Richi, but ends with Diego’s shot being deflected wide. 54 minutes, another fantastic save from Syazwan after a 1-2 from Maxime and Diego. 55 minutes in, a Richairo cutback is somehow missed right in front of goal by Maxime on his favoured foot. Two observations. First, that’s 7 very presentable opportunities. On another day, the scoreline could have been very ugly. Second, it is a rare day that Maxime is involved in so much but ends up with only 1 goal contribution – his assist for Diego for our 3rd goal. In fact, Maxime last scored in October, against Kitchee from the penalty spot. Since then, he has played in 7 games and not scored a goal – definitely his longest streak without scoring this season. If you are looking at non-penalty goals, his last goals came in August, against Hougang. That makes it 11 games without a non-penalty goal for our top-scorer this season. That’s why despite the result being super-secure, I was hoping he would score a goal to break this rather unfortunate