SEPANG – The appearance of the Malayan Tigress against the Vietnam World Cup team at the Cambodia SEA Games on Wednesday, will see a display of new tactics strategised by head coach Soleen Al-Zoubi.
Soleen, satisfied with the playout of the new tactics exhibited by his team throughout the training camp, is optimistic that the squad is ready to face Vietnam, the fifth-best in Asia.
“Almost everything is complete, we can always improve, we did a few tactical moves, and everything is fine.
“To be honest, most of the team members are young, they absorb everything and obey all the instructions, they are doing very well. In terms of tactical instruction I’m happy, they have good fighting experience,” he told reporters at Kuala Lumpur International Airport here today.
Meanwhile, team captain Steffi Sarge Kaur said that the coach from Jordan also gave a more modern touch in the training thus boosting the confidence of the Malayan Tigress to take on Vietnam.
“This time the training camp is a bit different, we hope to be able to use the new tactics taught by Soleen as planned against Vietnam,” she said.
In the meantime, Steffi said although there are a number of new faces in the squad, it is a good combination, judging from the team’s compatibility seen during the month-long training camp leading up to the biennial games.
This is a new beginning, our team will face World Cup teams, the Philippines and Vietnam. They had early preparation and they are very good, but what is important is that we will go to the field and give our 100%, our best performance,” she said.
The Malayan Tigress are down for their first action in Group A against Vietnam on Wednesday (May 3), the Philippines on Saturday (May 6), and Myanmar on Tuesday (May 9) at the Army Stadium, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
If the national women’s football squad manages to pass the group stage, they will play in the semi-finals on May 12. The final and the third or fourth-place decider will take place on May 15.
In the Hanoi edition in Vietnam, Malaysia did not send a women’s football team for the event. – Bernama, May 1, 2023
