Gavin Urges Calm As Singapore Gear Up For Causeway Derby Against Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- Singapore interim head coach Gavin Lee has advised his men to control their emotions when they face Malaysia in a Tier 1 international friendly at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tomorrow.

Gavin, who was appointed to the post in June following Tsutomu Ogura’s decision to step down, is aware that managing their emotions will be crucial for both players and staff in what is always a high-stakes fixture due to the traditional rivalry between the two sides.

“In terms of the emotions, naturally, like Saf (team captain Safuwan Baharudin) mentioned earlier, when you play in the Causeway Derby, it’s never easy. There’s a lot of tension, a lot of emotions, but something that we reference a lot in the team is about managing our thoughts, managing our emotions.

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“When we get too emotional, we tend to forget about things that we need to do. We have very good players capable of performing at a very, very high level, but sometimes emotions get in the way.

“So, ultimately, it’s how we’re going to regulate that. As a coach, the same applies to me. I need to be able to put those emotions aside so that I can watch the game as level-headed as possible and provide whatever input I can to take them closer to success,” he told a pre-match press conference here today.

Gavin also described making his coaching debut with Singapore as a “big honour” and acknowledged the heavy responsibility that comes with it - especially since it's a match against long-time rivals Malaysia.

“It’s my first game. For me, it’s a big honour. I’m just like everyone else in the team. It's the biggest honour you can have - every time you get to represent your country. We don’t take that responsibility lightly.

“We recognise that we have a role to fulfil each time we’re out there on the pitch, and that won’t change (tomorrow). Every single game, we expect 100 per cent from ourselves,” said the former BG Tampines Rovers FC head coach.

Meanwhile, Safuwan believes that Malaysia’s squad has evolved since their last meeting in December, with the inclusion of more naturalised players alongside the familiar core of local talent.

The 33-year-old defensive midfielder, who has vast experience in Causeway Derby clashes, said the Harimau Malaya remain consistent in their long-term vision of raising the country’s footballing standards in the region.

“I think what's different now is that there are more naturalised players. There is still the core base of local players, the ones that we’ve seen over the last few years. But I think the direction for them has always been the same - to try to be a better footballing country in Southeast Asia or Asia,” said the Selangor FC player, who is on loan with Lion City Sailors.

In their last five meetings in all competitions, Malaysia have won once, drawn twice and lost twice to Singapore, with their most recent clash ending 0-0 in the 2024 ASEAN Cup group stage.

After facing Malaysia, Singapore, who currently lead Group C in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers, will host India in their third group match on Oct 9.

-- BERNAMA