It was 7-1 last time out against the White Swans as they meekly surrendered in that game. A combination of poor form and terribly naive tactics by King Kazu meant that our Sailors managed to hit them on transitions again and again and again.
And again.
It was terribly cathartic for Sailors fans, considering all the damage they have done to us over the years. Watch the highlights here again if you so wish.
Are we likely to do a repeat of it? I don’t think so.
More Pragmatic Albirex
Since King Kazu got the sack, I think the truth finally dawned on Albirex that this season’s team was not very good. Not only was it not a championship-contending team, it is actually a team that would struggle to survive relegation (if there was such a concept in the SPL).
They’ve since amended their style to be a lot more pragmatic, staying solid and compact and trying to hit teams on the counter with the pace of Daniel Goh and Shingo Nakano.
Their last result was a 0-0 draw, the first time in 2 years that a goalless draw has been seen in the SPL. They managed to limit the effervescent attacking trio of DPMM, something that Geylang International failed to do earlier this evening.
A part of this was perhaps due to the return of veteran midfielder Yojiro Takahagi, who managed to exert some control in midfield. This, coupled with Syed Firdaus Hassan’s return to midfield meant that Albirex were harder to break down than they usually are this season.
Nakano – One to Fear
When I first heard that Albirex were signing a kid who played college football in the USA, I thought to myself, wow how desperate could they be?
But credit to them, what a masterstroke it has turned out to be. With raw energy, pace and athleticism, he has really proven to be the difference for Albirex. Since the Sailors game, he has struck 6 times in 7 games. He has 8 goals and 1 assist this season, making it 0.9 goals per game. For reference, Maxime is on 0.84, Shawal is on 0.89 and Lennart is on 0.69.
Of his goals, he has also shown he is rather versatile – scoring with left foot, right foot, and his head. The last time we played him, he hadn’t fully settled in yet (though the same can be said of Lennart Thy who was still being criticised by some fans despite us racking up 7 goals).
If we can stop the supply to Nakano, we can probably keep Albirex quiet tomorrow evening.
Will Sailors Bounce Back with a Strong Side? Or Will they Rotate?
A 3-0 loss to Borneo FC has gotta be slightly demoralising. And when you lose, your legs feel that bit heavier. You can play games every 3 days and if you’re winning each one comfortably, you might still feel that spring in your step.
Does Coach Ranko rotate for this one, given that Albirex are one of the weaker teams in the SPL, and giving some key players a chance to get their legs back before the Geylang game on Friday?
I think he won’t make wholesale changes, but I believe some regulars will come in. Shawal and Hariss I can see them starting given that they didn’t start in midweek. Rui Pires, given his early sending-off, should probably start as well. Should Obren be available, then the foreigner quota comes into the equation again. Does Coach Ranko drop one of our two foreign centre-backs to allow Obren to play?
Conclusion
Whatever lineup is put out, we absolutely have to beat this season’s version of Albirex. Let’s put the midweek disappointment behind us and go top of the table (Tampines don’t play this weekend).
COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE!
My predicted line-up
Izwan Mahbud
Lionel Tan, Bailey Wright, Toni Datkovic, Chris van Huizen
Rui Pires, Adam Swandi, Hariss Harun
Maxime Lestienne, Lennart Thy, Shawal Anuar
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: Albirex 1 Sailors 3
Joseph’s prediction: Albirex 0 Sailors 3
Written by Eddy Hirono
Picture courtesy of Lion City Sailors
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