Aide Iskandar: Lions must make chances count against Raddy's Myanmar
The equation is simple and, in theory, so is the fix.
There were several encouraging signs in the Lions' 2-1 loss to Thailand in their opening Group B encounter of the AFF Suzuki Cup last Sunday, and assistant coach Aide Iskandar believes there are two things they will have to focus on as they prepare for a must-win fixture against Myanmar tomorrow - converting chances, and keeping focus at the back.
Speaking on behalf of national coach Bernd Stange at the team hotel last night, Aide said: "We watched the video of the game... and the boys are positive, they know what we need to do.
"We will definitely be working on finishing, we need to make our chances count.
"Raddy (Avramovic, Myanmar head coach) will have a game plan and we cannot be wasteful (in front of goal), that's key."
Against the Thais, youngsters Faris Ramli and Sahil Suhaimi did not play up to the high standards expected of their prodigious talent and both Baihakki Khaizan and Hariss Harun picked up yellow cards, leaving them in danger of missing Saturday's potential winners-take-all fixture against Malaysia, should they receive another caution tomorrow.
Aide is not fretting on either case.
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"Hariss and Baihakki are key for us. Hopefully, they won't get another card, but we are not putting pressure on them, we need them to be aggressive, but maybe more focused in the tackle," said the former central defender.
"I'll leave Bernd to decide (if Sahil and Faris did enough to retain their starting spots). All I know is that these two have a lot to offer, and we will start to see that.
"Sometimes even the older players get jitters in the first game (of a tournament), in the next game we're more relaxed, more composed - and do better."
Against Thailand, Baihakki's yellow card saw him withdrawn at half-time as Stange re-jigged the team, switching Hariss from midfield to defence.
It did change the balance of the team.
"Things could've been better, we could've kept things tighter in midfield, but there were too many 'could haves' and 'ifs' about the Thailand game," said midfield star Hariss.
"We just need to move on from here."
And he will not be pulling any punches wherever he plays tomorrow.
"We need to express ourselves, and be disciplined at the back. One small lapse saw us concede a goal against Thailand, we can't do that again - we have to play our normal game."
Baihakki sang the same tune.
"Sometimes as a defender, you are put in a situation where you either (tackle and) get a yellow card or concede a goal, and that can happen any minute during the game," said the 30-year-old.
"If I was younger, I'd be disappointed that I was taken off at half-time, but I've grown over the years, and this is just the nature of the job... and I don't want to make a big deal of it."
Through all this, the shadow of former Lions boss Avramovic is looming over the team, his intimate knowledge of Singapore players, and his tactical acumen that could turn the tide for Myanmar.
But Hariss insists that they are players who can pull the team through.
"Raddy will instil that bit of determination and organisation in Myanmar, he knows of our threats from set-pieces, and will try to nullify the danger of Khairul Amri, Shahril Ishak and Shahdan Sulaiman," said Hariss.
"Raddy will be ready for us, but we have the players who can make a difference, and we now have to be ready for them.
"We have to get three points some way - any way."
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