The national football team will have plenty of work to do before the 2012 Suzuki Cup arrives in November. Going down 0:2 to the Philippines on home soil in a friendly match yesterday makes one wonder if the Lions still have the ability to regain the title of Southeast-Asia's best.
The local media was quick to shift the blame away from Raddy Avramovic, coach aka the main culprit behind Singapore's downfall, by pointing out that the Filipinos have a few players plying their trades in the top tiers of European leagues.
One of them is Stephan Schröck and the press was quick to state that he plays for German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim. However, it is not stated that Schröck has only made one, yes only one, appearance for his team. Another is Neil Etheridge who is a Fulham goalkeeper and hasn't make his debut after more than four years.
Indeed, the opponents which Singapore was facing aren't as superior as what the media portrayed them to be. On paper, Singapore is definitely on par with the Azkals player for player.
The Football Association should stop lying to itself and realize that the coach is the bottomline for the continuous downfall of a team. The Lions are all quality players at the Southeast-Asia level, it is the coach that is screwing up the entire squad.
The local media was quick to shift the blame away from Raddy Avramovic, coach aka the main culprit behind Singapore's downfall, by pointing out that the Filipinos have a few players plying their trades in the top tiers of European leagues.
One of them is Stephan Schröck and the press was quick to state that he plays for German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim. However, it is not stated that Schröck has only made one, yes only one, appearance for his team. Another is Neil Etheridge who is a Fulham goalkeeper and hasn't make his debut after more than four years.
Indeed, the opponents which Singapore was facing aren't as superior as what the media portrayed them to be. On paper, Singapore is definitely on par with the Azkals player for player.
Injuries to the grand old Aleksandar Duric, whom I frequently see at the Clementi stadium these days, and Khairul Amri have been used as an excuse for the Lion's poor performance. The main reason is obviously Avramovic and his illogical tactics.
The Football Association should stop lying to itself and realize that the coach is the bottomline for the continuous downfall of a team. The Lions are all quality players at the Southeast-Asia level, it is the coach that is screwing up the entire squad.
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