Cklamovski Reminds Harimau Malaya Not To Take Palestine Lightly

ISKANDAR PUTERI, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will not take Palestine lightly when both sides clash in tomorrow’s Tier 1 international friendly, with Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski stressing that discipline and tactical consistency are crucial for a strong performance.

Cklamovski said Palestine are a formidable opponent with an aggressive style of play and quality players, and that his charges must remain focused on their principles to deliver improvement at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here.

“It’s going to be a really good match between two strong teams. We respect Palestine, they are a very good team. What is important for us is to maintain our principles, focus on team performance, mentality and work ethic.

“Tomorrow is a chance to show improvement from the last game. Against Singapore, we had 20 shots compared to their five. There were many positives, but we must score more goals.

“Tomorrow will be a tough game, but also a good chance to test ourselves. We recognise their strengths, but our objective is to stick to our game and match their intensity,” he told a press conference here today.

On squad selection, Cklamovski confirmed there will be some rotation due to the tight schedule, with all players set to be given opportunities as Malaysia cannot depend on the same 11 players throughout.

“We need to manage the squad, especially with a tight schedule. Whoever starts tomorrow, and the substitutes who come on, all have an important role.

“A few days after Singapore we had to travel and recover, and now prepare for Palestine. But we don’t rely on one player...we rely on our team structure, and everyone contributes.

“We will play the way we want to play, with aggression and discipline. Football is always a challenge, but we believe we can also exploit spaces against them,” he added.

-- BERNAMA