THE MALAYSIAN national squad, popularly known as Harimau Malaya, yearn to regain the lost era of the country’s football glory, as they begin 2024 by mounting a challenge to break new grounds in the Asian Cup finals in Qatar next month.
Led by acclaimed Korean coach Kim Pan Gon, the team ended a 42-year wait to qualify on merit for the tournament.
They will open the Group E challenge against Jordan on January 15, followed by Bahrain (January 20) and old enemy South Korea, a two-time champion of the cup, on January 25.
Their participation is especially significant as the last time Malaysia played in the Asian Cup was when they co-hosted the 2007 edition, with the previous two being in 1976 in Iran and 1980 in Kuwait.
Winger Safawi Rasid is among those raring to give his best performance to help the country in this promising campaign.
Despite not playing much this season, Safawi said he will take advantage of the opportunity to play if given the trust of the coaching line led by Pan Gon.
"The Asian Cup is the highest stage for me and I will contribute my best if given the opportunity (to perform).
“I think all the players in their hearts want to play as a unit; it doesn't matter who is fielded, who isn't.
"What is important is that we want to get to qualify for the next round," he told reporters at the Harimau Malaya training session at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya.
Safawi said that despite having played a handful of matches with Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) this season after returning from a loan spell with Ratchaburi FC in Thailand, he is having extra training and takes care of all aspects such as food and sleep to stay fit.
"Pan Gon knows how to use the players he has. So, I think we have to work hard and give everything in training. All players have to be ready to take responsibility," he said.
For the record, Safawi once scored two goals in helping the national squad to beat South Korea 2-1 at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
Potential in players
Meanwhile, former national football player Khalid Jamlus gave his thumbs-up by assessing that the Harimau Malaya are in the best condition to face the Asian Cup.
Based on his experience, the Golden Boot winner hopes that the national team under the guidance of Pan Gon can maintain an excellent performance.
The first two group matches against Jordan and Bahrain are going to challenge the Malaysian players' physical strengths, he stressed.
The last meeting between Malaysia and Jordan was in a 2021 international friendly, where the national team lost 0-4, while the last match against Bahrain was in the qualification for the 2023 Asian Cup, where Harimau Malaya lost 1-2.
"But with the current team, I don't think it's a problem, and I believe they can defeat the Jordan team to secure the first points," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Meanwhile, Khalid also praised the outstanding performances of two national players, namely Selangor winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim, also known as Mickey, and Kuala Lumpur City (KL City) FC striker Haqimi Azim Rosli.
The former Perak team star said both players are the best and can be considered as hopes for the national team, besides hoping that more lethal strikers can be developed to ensure the squad does not face a shortage of players.
In addition, Khalid believes that local players should be given priority over naturalised players, even though their presence has greatly helped improve the world ranking of Harimau Malaya.
However, he reminded that local players must display their best performance to secure a spot in the team's starting lineup.
"Our local players are better now compared to before, so I hope they are given more opportunities to play and shine; now, naturalisation has filled our football, and in the long run, local players will have nothing to worry about," he said.
Determination amid uphill task
Meanwhile, midfielder Stuart Wilkin admitted that the team would face an uphill task in Group E against the big adversaries.
“We (the team) see the tournament as very challenging because there are higher ranking teams than us, especially South Korea, a World Cup team. But as a group, we will be working hard and give our best,” he told reporters at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya.
English-Malaysian Wilkin, who has regularly featured in Pan Gon's squad this year, said he can feel the improvement in the team ahead of the assignment in Doha.
Commenting on the presence of experienced Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) player Natxo Insa in the team which has made the competition in midfield even more intense, Wilkin said his teammate has commendable prowess.
“I believe each of the midfielders is capable of playing in the team, so we all will encourage each other and push each other to be the best we possibly can,” he said.
Wilkin scored on his debut with Malaysia when they beat Cambodia 4-0 in a friendly in December last year.
He continued to steal the spotlight when he scored a brace to help Malaysia beat Singapore 4-1 in the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup last group match at home early this year. – The Vibes, December 31, 2023
