June 15, 2024

Yes. That’s a picture of me at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium, home of Brunei DPMM. On 15 June 2024. Matchday – or at least it was supposed to be. Brunei DPMM unfortunately did not inform the fans that there was gonna be a rescheduling of the game, until 8 days before. Which was way after Chin Heng and I had already booked our air tickets to Bandar Seri Begawan. Of course, when we first heard about it, we were livid. How inept does DPMM have to be when you had a whole year and a half to renovate the stadium, such that now when the season has already started, you are still facing technical issues? But you know what they say about life when it throws you lemons. You make lemonade. In this case, our lemonade was deciding that since our tickets were non-refundable, we would go to Brunei anyway, to experience the local culture, speak to locals, and just have a good time. So, lemonade became teh ais limau. After a great day of food and sightseeing, I am now in the hotel room typing all this. A preview of the Brunei game, written in Brunei. Apt! Advantage Sailors Leaving aside the complete disregard for fans who may have made plans to travel, this inconsiderate move by DPMM actually benefits the Sailors. We have to play 4 league fixtures against them, 2 home, 2 away. But now, due to the stadium issues, we have to play 2 home, 1 away, and 1 neutral game. Of course, the neutral ground is one we know well, and will require our opponents to take a 2h flight to travel to Singapore for. The Crew will also be there, and in full voice, what with the match now being in Singapore, so there won’t be just Chin Heng and myself. The close proximity from the stands to the field at JBS will also help make our presence felt. Location aside, the slight postponement of the game from 15th to 18th June also means that our national team players have a little bit more time to rest those tired legs after international duty. Bad for Chin Heng and I, but overall better for the larger group of fans, and the club itself. That doesn’t mean that DPMM if you are reading this, you shouldn’t compensate us. GIVE US A FREE JERSEY OR SOMETHING PLEASE. DPMM Firepower If you’ve watched DPMM this season, you will know from that limited sample size of two games that their attack is looking scary. Last season, Hakeme Yazid was the shining star, as he got goals and assists galore and was their top-scorer. This season though? He’s played a more supporting role, allowing the other attacking talents alongside him to shine. Gone is the ageing Andrei Voronkow, in comes Julio Cruz and Miguel Oliveira. These two have looked to be real threats, and I think will give many SPL defences nightmares for the rest of the season. Julio Cruz, in particular, has looked really lively and in just one match has shown the full range of his abilities. Against Albirex, not only did he clinically net a close-range goal from a cross with his right foot, he also made 2 assists, one with his head, and another with a sumptuous through pass using his left foot. He looked like a complete player, and that’s just on his league debut! You can almost tell that this is a player who is used to operating at higher levels, which is what his CV suggests. Just 3 years ago, he was the top-scorer in Mexico’s 2nd division. Miguel Oliveira has already shown he has a left foot to be feared. Already scoring three times this season, he is a threat in and around the box, while his pace also means that he will be dangerous on the counter, along with Hakeme Yazid. It is worth noting that his 3 goals come from a cumulative xG of just 0.76 – and it shows in the goals he has scored. For all 3 goals, he was in a difficult position but managed to find the back of the net. Zharfan will need to be at his best to stop Oliveira once he gets a shot in. Flottman Injury Their attack may be firing on all cylinders, but unfortunately for DPMM they may have an issue at the back for this game, and also for a long time more. Patrick Flottman, their foreign signing at centreback has unfortunately suffered a recurrence of his ACL injury, and will likely miss many months of the season. We wish him all the best. It leaves them a little weak at the back. This season they’ve conceded 2 goals, and both were from set pieces. It is definitely something we should look to exploit. Lionel Tan will be back for this one, so I hope he gets the memo. Sailors’ Own Strength Perhaps not more needs to be said about this. I focused on Oliveira and Hakeme and Julio Cruz – but if any frontline is scarier than that, it is gonna be Thy, Lestienne, Bart. And that is exactly how they may line up. I am not sure about whether Shawal will start given that he took some time off from the national team so as not to miss his wife’s delivery date. Song Ui-Young also looks a doubt because he was unable to play against Thailand. I know I said in my last piece about Lennart that he may not start given that he just finished a long season in the Eredivisie, but if these two players don’t make it, he may be tossed right in. Mr. Thy has already made a goalscoring contribution in the Sailors shirt, albeit just in a friendly game against JDT II one week ago. Let’s see him score for real on Tuesday! Conclusion One of the two remaining perfect records in the league has to come to an end. I