July 12, 2024

This was earmarked as one of the tougher games we would have to face this season, and it is certainly shaping up that way. Although Balestier Khalsa come into this game 5 points behind us with a vastly inferior goal difference, they have actually performed well in every game they’ve played this season. And oh, about that inferior goal difference in relation to us? They just have not played Albirex yet. I know this is a Balestier preview, but you gotta have some sympathy for Albirex. The league table shows them scoring the fewest goals in the league, and conceding the most. They have now choked two leads despite having a one-man advantage for practically the whole second half. That these two games were against Young Lions and Tanjong Pagar will only make them feel worse because these are the two teams that they will feel they should be able to compete with – whether it be a transition year or not. But enough of that digression – Balestier is scary, and let’s dive right into the preview to figure out why. Kodai Tanaka is a Goal Machine I mean – you didn’t need me to tell you this. But I’ll tell you anyway. 2nd in the league top-scorer charts, Kodai has 8 goals in 6 matches. That’s more than a goal a game. Surely he can’t keep this up, I hear you say. Oh yes, he can. In the season before he joined us, Kodai notched 39 goals in 32 games for Albirex. He also scored in every match in the Singapore Cup that he played in that year for them – and when he got injured prior to the 2nd leg of the semi-final against Hougang, Albirex lost. Hmm. So more than a goal a game is definitely not uncharted territory for Kodai. Unlike Tomoyuki Doi, who shoots from anywhere, Kodai’s goals all come from inside the penalty area, and usually in very good positions too. This is indicative of a striker who has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. The stats paint the same picture – his 8 goals come from a cumulative xG of 7.28, suggesting that he is scoring just about the same number of goals from the positions he’s getting into. (For reference, Tomoyuki Doi’s 12 goals have come from a cumulative xG of 6.88, which is insane) Aside from just being a top-scorer, Kodai will have added motivation to prove to the Sailors management that they should have kept him. His time with us was truly unfortunate. The fans loved him, he scored 3 goals in his first 3 appearances, and then an untimely and sickening injury happened to him at the Jurong East Stadium. As his knee buckled under him, the fans feared the worst – and their worst fears came through. ACL injury, out for practically the whole season. He will be chomping at the bit to try and score against us I’m sure. In pre-season, in a match I didn’t attend, apparently he scored against us and started cupping his ears in the direction of the Sailors end. Some bad blood perhaps? Or just a cheeky celebration? I don’t wanna find out tonight haha. Kodai was missing last game with an injury, but I am pretty sure he will be sacrificing all manner of animals to the injury gods to make sure he can play this game. Bailey and Toni will have a tough task on their hands trying to keep Kodai quiet. But if they could keep Tomoyuki Doi quiet, then maybe they can do the same for Kodai too. Fingers crossed! Riku Fukashiro – the Livewire Riku is the 3rd-highest assists-maker in the league this season. If I could have picked one player from last season’s Albirex team to bring over to the Sailors, it would have been this guy. He is just so entertaining to watch. Just this season, he’s tried a rainbow flick in a game, and while I don’t have the stats, I am willing to bet that he is among the top dribblers in the league. Last season, Riku had very limited playing time, but yet managed impressive numbers. He had 9 goals and 8 assists from 29 appearances. While those are already commendable numbers, when you take into account that he only started 7 times out of 29, those contribution numbers start to look alot more impressive. This season, Riku has been in a rich vein of form. Always tormenting defenders in and around the box, he has 2 goals and 5 assists already. Add to that one penalty won, and he’s directly been responsible for 8 out of Balestier’s 19 goals. He’s definitely a key player and one to watch for our defenders. I wonder if he might cause Lionel or Chris some trouble down the flanks if he drifts out there. Unlike the Geylang game where Geylang didn’t seem really intent on finding anyone except Doi with the ball, I think the attacking threat will be a lot more varied in tonight’s game. Will Balestier Attack? This is a screengrab right before Ismail Sassi on the far side slips Fukashiro (no. 9) in behind the defence for him to cross to Amiruldin Asraf (no. 19) waiting for the cutback on the penalty spot. I chose this picture to illustrate that Balestier is a very creative team that doesn’t rely on just lumping the ball into the box at every opportunity. Look at Ismail with the ball at his right foot. I dare say that 8 out of 10 players, would see Madhu and Amer Hakeem in the box, and decide to just cross it in. It’s not even an irrational choice – the aerial presence of Madhu and Amer will cause problems. However, they’ve shown on more than one occasion this season that they are a team that will make that extra pass on attack, consistent with Peter de Roo’s attacking ethos. When you