First things first, this is not Eddy from SailorFanTalk, because Eddy from SailorFanTalk is in Korea on a company trip and will be going to watch Jeonbuk in a local league match. That leaves me, Chin Heng, to take over Post-Match Thoughts duties. Enjoy.
Going into the game, we were missing several key players in the matchday squad: Rui working his way back from an injury, Lionel serving his suspension from the red card picked up at the end of last season, and Song away preparing for his wedding (congrats!!!).
Off the pitch, we had similar concerns as the Crew was missing several regular members. Although we still had a sizeable away crowd of a few hundred people, it was nowhere near the attendance numbers of a regular league game.
All these worries were put to rest by the end of the game, as we won by a comfortable 4-1 scoreline and the Crew were so loud that we were heard clearly through the stream, so much so that the Hools broke out in song – ‘You only sing when you’re winning’ – a testament to how well the Crew did since we were winning for most of the game. [cheeky wink]
Budding Partnerships
Despite the one-sided scoreline, I am convinced that we were not firing on all cylinders. A little harsh perhaps, considering the team was clearly in control the entire game, but we were also a wasteful at times in the final third, with the finishing not quite clinical enough and stray passes happening on a number of occasions throughout the match.
The game was eventually decided by several moments of individual brilliance as well as a mistake or two from the opposition (legend has it that Ensar Bruncevic is still looking for the ball as we speak, after Shawal bamboozled him for that second goal).
Nonetheless, I am sure that we can only get better as the season progresses, as our new signings settling in and getting used to the coach, players, and the climate. We are already starting to see the quality of our new players as well as their partnership with their teammates.
Bailey and Toni
The control we had over the entire game could partly be attributed to the solid centre-back pairing of Bailey and Toni. Other than the admittedly unnecessary tackle leading to the penalty, B&T hardly put a foot wrong for the entire 90 minutes. In fact, we conceded only 3 shots the entire game (one of which was the rebound from that missed penalty).
I am certainly looking forward to see how the same pairing holds up against some of the best teams in AFF and AFC as we kick off our Shopee cup and ACL2 campaigns.
Bart and Maxime
The more things change, the more they stay the same. We lost our last number 10 Diego Lopes (sobs) but Maxime showed the same affinity with our new number 10. In this game we saw the two of them linking up on a number of occasions with this combination directly leading to our 1st and 4th goals.
The first goal was a cutback from the right wing by Maxime and a brilliant finish by Bart, an almost casual first-time right foot volley into the bottom corner.
The 4th goal was a cross by Maxime leading to a first-time shot from Bart. It was parried by the keeper but Zaiful was helpless against an Obren tap-in for two metres out, which brings me to my next point:
Not Your Typical Left-Back
As Zach mentioned in his tactical analysis of the community shield ([Tactical Analysis] Second-gear Sailors Sweep the Shield (Sailors 2 Albirex Niigata (S) 0) – SailorFanTalk), we once again saw Obren taking up very advanced positions while Sailors were in possession despite starting as a left-back, with the defence effectively operating as a back 3 (Toni-Bailey-Chris) when we have the ball.
This was executed to great effect to set up attacking opportunities on multiple occasions, and in the 87th minute we even saw Obren pushing up to play as striker when Hafiz came on for Shawal, resulting in his first SPL goal a minute later.
A versatile setup that we will probably see more of in the coming months, and I am really excited to see how we can make use of Obren’s height and energy to carve out chances against tight defences.
Shawal Shows Up as Always
Shawal has once again shown that he is a very reliable source of goals when we need them, adding 1 goal and 1 assist to his goal in the Community Shield last week. A brilliant finish with the outside of his left foot into the side netting for the 2nd goal was followed by a stunning through ball to Adam Swandi to finish past Zaiful into the bottom corner for our 3rd.
With a rumoured European forward (Local boy Shawal Anuar delivers for the Lion City Sailors in Singapore Premier League | The Straits Times) joining our ranks in the weeks ahead, we are sure to have a wealth of attacking assets available, critical for the 12-month long season ahead where we will be challenging on 2 local and 2 continental fronts.
Fit as a Fiddle
In the early games of the season, we often see teams finding themselves fatigued by the end of the match, as players are working their way toward full match fitness.
This was not the case today, with all our substitutions happening only after the 80th minute. Our players looked fit and were still going at full throttle towards the end of the game – if they were tired they certainly didn’t show it.
The result of a good pre-season perhaps?
Can We Talk About that First Touch?
The win was good and all, but I know what you’re actually here for. The man of the match. The play of the day. The loudest cheer of the night.
If you haven’t seen it, go take a look HERE (Zia-ul Raushan (@raushansays) • Instagram photos and videos), I’ll wait.
A first touch that would put Maxime to shame.
At this point I was wishing coach Ranko would sub himself on, but alas, rules and stuff.
Conclusion
It was a comfortable win in the end and I think the result was never in doubt once we scored the first goal, but I couldn’t help but feel that we were not at our best, especially in the first half. Fortunately, this was still more than enough to take the 3 points against a revamped Hougang side. I could have used similar words to describe the Community Shield performance, so I hope it doesn’t become a recurring theme this season.
However, if ‘not our best’ is good enough, I shudder to think what our performances would look like as we move through the gears with each passing game. Greater challenges lie ahead of us in this long season, so we’ll just take the 3 points and move on.
Next up – our first home game of the season against Young Lions, a game we are expected to win comfortably despite Young Lions’ brilliant preseason form. See you at Bishan!
Written by Tan Chin Heng
Edited by Eddy Hirono
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