[Post-Match Thoughts] Early Observations (Sailors 1 JDT 2)

It’s a pre-season friendly, and you can’t really read too much into these games, but the quality of the opponent I think should fill us with some optimism. It was a very good performance, especially for this stage of pre-season, and taking into account that we played Malaysia’s No. 1 side with 10 men for a third of the game, thanks to (imo) some over-zealous refereeing.

I think it also goes without saying that Maxime is a real gem, and we love him very much. There was no doubt when the ball left his boot that he was gonna score. We’ve really been pampered by his quality in the last couple of years. But what about other observations?

I sat down with Crew member Ernest to talk about the game, and these are some of our thoughts!

Overall Thoughts

Ernest – We can compete, even if JDT were missing some key players. Yes, we know several key players were not in the squad but many of our own were playing together for the first time too. We cannot read too much into the what if’s, only the performance and scoreline. It was a respectable one, Sailors had less possession of the ball but always looked dangerous on the break.

Eddy – For a team that played a third of the game with a man down, I cannot remember Zharfan having to make too many saves. There was one good one in the first half, but other than that, the team did very well to limit JDT to half-chances. Considering JDT was more advanced in their pre-season than we were, I think it was a very positive outing. Toni Datkovic said in his interview with us that the players only got together to train for the first time a few days ago, so I am taking the positives! Speaking of Toni Datkovic…

Toni Datković – Combative Croat

Ernest –  Very, very solid. Left-footed option, can be a Pedro Henrique replacement. I can see why his nickname El Sicario stuck. Strong in the tackle and in the air, unfortunate for the goals conceded.

Eddy – I thought the defensive unit including Toni did well to limit JDT to so few chances, and Toni was part of that performance. I am sure they will look at the two goals conceded and feel that they should have done way better on the goals considering one goal originated from a hopeful cross, while the other was an uncontested header. With greater chemistry, we should see an improvement on this front. A promising first look at our big Croatian defender.

Return of Song

Ernest – Suitable for midfield. Solid 60min outing. Song’s return to LCS is a cause of excitement among many fans. He was a staple of good Home United and LCS squads, and every time he touched the ball you could feel the crowd willing him on. Popped up everywhere, could have had a goal but blazed it over the bar. For someone coming back from injury it was a good shift. He also took time to chat with fans after the match too – always a class act. Could he be the best signing of the window? Time will tell.

Eddy – It’s always nice to see Singapore’s favourite Korean-Singaporean back in town. He was his usual irrepressible self, snapping into challenges, putting himself about. However, you get the feeling that he’s still shaking off some rust, and regaining his fitness. This is far from the Song we know. His misses in front of goal were also uncharacteristic – on his day he is an ice-cold finisher and would have finished with 2 goals. He’ll be back on form I’m sure.

First Look at Bart

Ernest – Good player in half-spaces on the turn – and boy did he turn a lot! Many of our midfielders/forwards received the ball with their back facing the goal, but they either laid it off to another teammate on the wings or took minimal touches on the turn to advance up the field. It was a tactic that worked in phases of the game, the quick tempo in the middle third. Bart seems to be well-suited to this, beating his man regularly through combining with others or taking it on himself. He will take time to adjust to his teammates but the early signs are promising.

Eddy – I thought Bart had an amazing first game for us. He was brave in possession and was constantly driving at the defence. We’ve seen from his Eredivisie days that he has a good shot on him, but what we saw against JDT was that he’s great at picking up possession and then immediately turning defence into offence with a good pass or a driving run. Hard to dispossess even when pressed hard or double-teamed. He reminds me of Santi Cazorla, and that’s high praise!

Zharfan with the Cruyff Turn

Ernest – There was one save in the first half where the whole crowd went “OOH”. He sprung instinctively to palm the ball out for a corner when it looked destined for the goal. Generally commanding of his area, and showed his usual good distribution. But we all know everyone is talking about the Cruyff turn in the dying seconds. The audacity. Picture-book moment.

Eddy – I thought he was really solid. Held on to a few fizzing low crosses played into the danger area, and did what he needed to do without fuss. Then of course, there was that big save in the first half after the ball had come off Lionel’s shoulder and dropped to one of the JDT strikers. For most goalkeepers, that would be the highlight of the game – but not Zharfan. Late in the game, in a bid to get a late equalizer, Zharfan was given the green light by Coach Rankovic to go into the opposing penalty box for a corner kick. It was half-cleared, and the ball dropped to Zharfan, who was being chased by Corbin-Ong. Get it wrong, and JDT have an empty net to deal with – but Zharfan took the high-risk option in the most spectacular way. A Cruyff turn to send Corbin-Ong to the hotdog stand. Would he have done it if it wasn’t a friendly game? I don’t know – but someone else forgot it was a friendly game…

Hami Red for a Mistimed Challenge

Eddy – It looked like it could have been a red card, but I think the referee could have, like Zharfan, remembered that this was a friendly game and exercised a bit of common sense. Pre-season friendlies are meant for teams to build up fitness and for the fans to have a bit of fun. Noone wants to watch 10 v 11, not even the JDT fans. The fact that none of the JDT players entered the fray to shove Hami or even scold him perhaps is an indicator of the actual severity of the tackle. Mistimed but not malicious. Not a refereeing howler, just a little annoying.

Ernest – Deserved, the fact that nobody protested it shows how bad of a foul it was. We all know Hami did not intend to injure his opponent but a bad tackle in any match is still a bad tackle. Nowhere near the ball. Yes, the red killed the game and it was a friendly but it’s in the rulebook, such tackles are always reds.

Obren

Eddy – After the red card in the second half, we feared the worst, and we were prepared for a JDT siege on our goal. Obren’s introduction brought the fans some fun moments, as his tireless nature injected life into a game that seemed dead. His physical presence also served as an outlet for us out on the left flank. For someone taking up one of the 3 U21 foreigner slots, I thought he was more impressive than expected, and he looks like he might be a handful for some SPL teams. Also, how is he only 20? He looks like one of the biggest players in our squad physically already!

Ernest – It was a decent debut for him, came on at left wing and put a shift in. there was one moment where he chased the ball when it looked like it was going out, kept it in and beat his man who gave it up. He earned a few cheers in acknowledgment for his effort. An exciting prospect, neat touches in small spaces.

Conclusion

There were of course a lot of other things to comment on, but I once again would say that there’s little at this stage that we can really read into, especially the negatives. Rust and a lack of match fitness would contribute to some players not performing up to their usual standards, but I am confident that come the start of the season, we should see better.

Let’s see what else we can glean from Monday’s trip to Johor!

Written by Eddy Hirono  and Ernest Cheong

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