This used to be a top-of-the-table clash, one that the Sailors often found themselves losing. Since Albirex started playing by the same rules as everyone else, our Sailors have gone into every game as the favourites. So far, it’s 2 wins and a loss, but I think even the most die-hard Sailors fan wouldn’t have thought it was gonna be quite this straightforward. From start to finish, the Sailors were dominant, and aside from one crossbar hit from somebody I can’t remember, Albirex never threatened the Sailors’ goal.
It is a little sad that this match used to keep supporters at the edge of their seats, but now by half-time, the game was essentially done, even though we rested Maxime Lestienne. Imagine resting our best player for this match last season – it would be unthinkable.
Let’s dive into some post-match thoughts.
Lennart Thy Man of the Match
Lennart Thy picked up 2 goals and an assist on Friday, making him Sailors’ top-scorer in the league, 1 ahead of Shawal.
Amazingly, it was also his 6th Man-of-the-Match award (if I counted it right) in just 19 league games. Wow.
However, as stated in my previous article, I think some supporters still need a little convincing, and Albirex’s diminished profile probably doesn’t help him in this regard. Supporters are bound to take it a lot more seriously if he turns in such a performance against BG Tampines Rovers, or indeed, on the continental stage. Do well against Buriram, and maybe just maybe, those who aren’t fully convinced yet will be.
For now though, let’s get behind him – it’s crazy that I need to say this when he is our top-scorer in the league. 15 goals in the league, with 4 assists. Left foot, right foot, headers, he scores them all. In a team where the goals are spread out, rather than having a Doi-shaped figure dominating the attack, these are very reasonable numbers. Long may this continue.
Bart Ramselaar – His Best Game
I am actually surprised that it wasn’t Bart who picked up the MOTM award. 2 assists and a goal, plus he also had a hand in Lenny’s 2nd goal when his shot was well-saved by Hassan Sunny. He ran Ryhan Stewart ragged down our left, and it was no surprise that 3 of our goals in the first half came down our left side.
It was his well-placed cross that invited Hassan Sunny to rush out of goal to try to punch away, but of course we know that Shawal’s leap is magical and he managed to get to the ball ahead of Hassan. He then executed a quick 1-2 with Sergio Carmona Perez for the 3rd goal, before unleashing a rocket of a shot into the top corner. To round off the first half, he then showed good strength and skill to hold the ball up just enough to lay it off for Song to score the 4th.
Aside from his goal contributions, he also kept things ticking very nicely in midfield, using turns and feints to ensure that Albirex were always chasing shadows when they tried to squeeze us in midfield.
Bart’s season has been a little stop-start due to injury and suspension. He is on 8 goals and 6 assists from 12 league matches this year, which is already a very high tally, but I think his best game for us in a Sailors shirt is gonna spur him on to greater heights.
Winning with Wingbacks
With Albirex defending for their lives, it allowed our two wingbacks a lot of room to attack, and that they did.
Carmona picked up an assist and a goal, while Chris van Huizen put in a number of dangerous balls from the right, and ended the night with a good assist for Carmona.
For CvH, it was his 2nd assist in a week, and I think he is really relishing being able to push up during SPL games. Earlier this season, CvH would sometimes start as a fullback in a back 4, which naturally meant he sometimes had to curb his attacking instincts.
Now, with three centrebacks at the back, you see how we attack, and how high Carmona and CvH get. It creates more options for us, and makes it harder for defenders to pick up players like Bart and Maxime who like to look for space between the fullbacks and the centrebacks.
Carmona was also really exciting to watch down the left flank, and at times you can see his youthful exuberance. There was a moment where he tried to nutmeg someone in his own half, and it ultimately led to a half-chance for Albirex. He got absolutely chewed out for that by Hariss – and rightly so. It was not a good risk to take, and it could have ended badly for us on another day. He will only get better with time.
Of course, I still believe that against a team like Buriram, we will see Hami Syahin back in the RWB role and our LWB will be asked to stay much deeper, as we look to have a bit more ball security in the middle. However, in the SPL, where we can afford to take a few more risks, we want to be entertained, and hopefully we get to see our wingbacks flying forward more often.
Anu and Hariss
To say that Anu and Hariss are not everyone’s cup of tea would be an understatement. However, they both turned in very tidy performances, especially Anu, who completed 90 minutes, made 94% of his passes, and snapped into a few challenges to regain possession for the team. He looked relatively untroubled all night and in a season where we will be playing in 4 competitions, we need someone like Anu in the squad even if he isn’t first choice.
Rumours that he will go on loan to TPUFC hopefully stay as just rumours – there’s no way we should be letting go of him unless we have a replacement lined up. Nights like these serve as a good reminder of how good a player Anu was when we signed him, and how under the right conditions, I hope we can get him back to the level of form needed to be a part of the national squad.
Conclusion
No Maxime Lestienne, no Lionel Tan, no Hami Syahin – three ever-presents in the first team all not starting. Two of them only came on in the second half when the game was won. Ranko being able to take off key players in the second half just to manage their minutes and let the fringe players play.
A clean sheet. Six goals from five different goalscorers.
Ranko couldn’t really have asked for much more from the team. It was so comfortable someone in the stands was yawning – imagine that! Sailors fans are spoilt I think – domestically it’s hard to recreate crazy games like the 5-2 against Port FC or the insane highs and lows of the 2-3 loss to Persib.
However, the league is our bread and butter, our non-negotiable. Right now, we have a 3 point lead, with a game in hand. 13 more matches to go, 39 more points to earn. It’s not over yet, even if we are in a strong position. I like that Coach Ranko talked about goal difference in the post-match interview. He is absolutely right in that it might yet come into play.
BG Tampines are breathing right down our neck, and they are still unbeaten against us this season. If they somehow beat us twice (not impossible), then we will need to be damn near perfect for the rest of our games, and we will need that goal difference.
But for now, all eyes turn to Thursday’s Buriram game. If you thought our Sailors are scoring for fun, wait till you check Buriram’s latest games. 8-0, 9-0, some ridiculous scorelines there.
See you in the preview in a couple of days!
Written by Eddy Hirono
Check out the post-match thoughts of our fans here.
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