KUALA LUMPUR – The Young Speedy Tigers are in the midst of making some last-minute tweaks before their opening match against Chile at the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters today, head coach Muhammad Amin Rahim said that he and the coaching staff are working around the clock to tighten up the defence and offence of the team as they take on the South American side at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Amin admitted that his charges need to improve their consistency as they have always performed strongly in the first two quarters of their game, but will fall short in the following two.
He said that during the recent Sultan of Johor Cup, his team started strong and played well in the first two quarters, adding that the players need to be consistent throughout the match.
“I think my players also realise the consistency part, and we are working to fix that.
“So we are doing specific work to be consistent for the whole 60 minutes,” he said.
Malaysia will take on India tomorrow in a final friendly game to test if their strategy will work, but Amin is not setting any expectations for the game.
He wants his players to take on the Indians with confidence and, at the same time, get a feel for the tournament before their first match on Tuesday.
“Winning against India will be a bonus, but the important thing is to take what we learned from the match, improve, and carry it into our match against Chile,” he added.
Previously, when both sides met at the Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India in 2021, Malaysia beat Chile 2-1 to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Chile is ranked 20th in the junior rankings, while the Speedy Tigers are eighth.
“Rankings don’t play a role in the outcome of matches in an international tournament like this.
“Chile is from the Pan-American region, and they usually have different tactics and playing styles compared to teams from Asia and Europe.
“So, we need to prepare from every angle. We need to tighten up the defence while making our attacking chances count,” said Amin. — December 2, 2023