Melaka United coach Zainal brimming with confidence after friendly wins

MELAKA, 21 Ogos -- Melaka United coach Zainal Abidin Hassan has a good idea about his starting 11 after his team won all its three friendly matches ahead of the resumption of the Malaysia League (M-League) at the end of this month.

Having defeated PDRM FA 3-0, UiTM FC 1-0 and Felda United FC 4-0 in the friendlies, he is confident that his team is ready for the remaining seven matches in the Super League, starting with Perak on Aug 28.

In fact, the three friendly victories have also left 59-year-old coach gushing about the quality of his reserve players.

“What’s good about this is that every player knows he will have to fight for his starting position. This will definitely help them raise their performance levels and be more determined to remain in the starting 11,” he said in a statement posted on the Melaka United Football Association (MUSA) Facebook page today.

Zainal, however, admitted that there were still some shortcomings which his team had to overcome ahead of the resumption of the M-League, which was halted in March following the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Of course there are some areas that we need to work on. We must be ready to face Perak in a week’s time, but there are still some weaknesses we need to correct,” he said.

The M-League will resume on Aug 28, with all the teams having to play their matches behind closed doors to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Malaysian Football League (MFL).

Melaka United is currently in 11th spot in the 12-team Super League standings with just three points from four matches. The team was deducted three points for failing to settle the salary arrears of its players and officials according to the specified schedule.

-- BERNAMA