KL coach not setting high target for Malaysia Cup
MELAKA,. Kuala Lumpur head coach Nidzam Adzha Yusoff will not set a high target in the Malaysia Cup 2020 competition, slated to begin on Nov 6, but hoped that the City Boys would be able to spring some surprises in the early round of the matches.
He said his current focus is to improve their weaknesses after losing 0-2 to Kuching FA in the last Premier League match at Hang Jebat Stadium here last night, thus seeing the city squad finishing third in the league.
“Of course, we need to be more prepared besides improving the quality of the game (to face the Malaysia Cup competition),” he told reporters after the match, last night.
At the game, Kuching FA under coach Akira Higashiyama won their fifth consecutive victory through goals from Brazilian Bryan Jones Anicezio in the 21st minute before Japan’s Yuta Suzuki sealed the victory with the second in the 34th minute.
Commenting on the game, Nidzam Adzha expressed his disappointment with the results and admitted the mistakes made by his players which gave their opponents goal-scoring chances even though his squad played well at the beginning of the match.
In this regard, the 52-year-old Taiping-born coach said that apart from preparing his team to face the Malaysia Cup 2020 competition, he will also ensure that his men can challenge (other teams) after qualifying for the Super League 2021.
Meanwhile, Akira admitted Kuching FA’s performance at the beginning of the league was not satisfactory but his players managed to bounce back and finish the remaining five matches by collecting full points.
The Japanese coach said he would remain focus on analysing the opponents in this short period before Malaysia Cup kicks off.
The knockout format used in the Malaysia Cup football competition this time involves 16 teams comprising 11 Super League teams and the top five from the Premier League.
The Malaysia Cup draw will be held on Nov 1, with the first round matches on Nov 6, 7 and 8. The quarterfinals will be held on Nov 12 and 13, the semi-finals on Nov 17, while the final is on Nov 22.
— BERNAMA
