Super League position not main priority: Negri Sembilan FC’s Devan

SEREMBAN – Occupying the best position in the Super League table this season is not the main priority of Negri Sembilan FC (NSFC) at the moment, as focus is now on strengthening the team’s performance, said its head coach K. Devan.

Despite having been in the top four last season, Devan said the Deer this time need to be more realistic, especially as they have a limited number of imported players compared with other teams.

“If I have a team with a full quota (of imported players), I would maybe chase the top spot in the league. For now we will see how it goes and collect as many points as possible in the first round. We are thinking about a realistic team position.

“After that, for the second round, we will look at the club’s ability to take in imported players and try to do something, because the points (in the table) are not very different from other teams,” he told reporters after his team’s match against Kuala Lumpur City FC (KL City FC) at Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi here last night.

Devan said the seriousness and commitment of his players, including the substitutes, who followed good tactical discipline throughout yesterday’s action, turned out to be fruitful when they managed to beat the City Boys 2-1.

After last night’s result, NSFC remain in ninth position with 13 points while KL City FC are in sixth place with 15 points.

Meanwhile, when asked if the victory might silence critics about the team’s current performance, Devan said he refused to entertain the views of outsiders and would continue to focus on bringing the team to a better level.

“Everyone has their opinions, and they are not the same as mine. I know better about what happens in the team. I’m not saying their opinions are wrong. The important thing as a coach is that I focus on my job,” he said.

On the match against PDRM FC scheduled for May 18, he said he would look again at the strength of the team since the match was an away one.

“We will probably use the same tactical approach, or tweak it a little. Tonight we were playing at home, and I used three strikers, but we will see the situation in the away match. We will still put three (defenders) at the back,” he said. – Bernama, May 15, 2023