NATIONAL head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has roped in veteran Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak and Abdul Halim Saari after match statistics showed that Harimau Malaya’s defence and midfield are vulnerable.
Cheng Hoe said he had to reevaluate his team selection after Malaysia conceded four goals in their recent pre-World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers against Indonesia (won 3-2) and United Arab Emirates (lost 2-1),
“Aidil is experienced but we have not decided whether or not he will be in the first 11. This will spark a healthy competition among the players as everyone needs to be focused in every position,” he said.
“So far, Aidil has been playing well with JDT, and last year he played well in the AFF Suzuki Cup.
“With his experience, he should be able to guide the team. When I watched him against Terengganu (in Malaysia Cup last Saturday), he looked fit.”
Aidil, 32, has received numerous national call-ups since he was 17, and he has thus far made 84 appearances for the senior team, scoring three goals.
Selangor’s 24-year-old Halim, a midfielder, had received his national call-up earlier in the year for the Airmarine Cup.
“We know that our midfield needs strengthening because we have to stabilise the team. We know Vietnam are a strong team, especially defensively so, we need someone to help there,” he said.
“There are 25 players but no one’s place is guaranteed yet and they will have to keep fighting to get into the final 23-man squad.”
Centralised training will commence on Monday and Cheng Hoe will get a chance to assess the players in the international friendly against Sri Lanka on Oct 5.
National call-up list:
Mohd Farizal Marlias (JDT), Adam Nor Azlin (JDT), Aidil Zafuan (JDT), La’Vere Corbin-Ong (JDT), Syamer Kutty Abba (JDT), Safawi Rasid (JDT), Akhyar Rashid (JDT), Syafiq Ahmad (JDT), Shahrul Saad (Perak), Shahrel Fikri Fauzi (Perak), Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy (Perak), Nazirul Naim Hashim (Perak), Brendan Gan (Perak), J. Partiban (Perak), Matthew Davies (Pahang), Mohamadou Sumareh (Pahang), Nor Azam Azih (Pahang), Norshahrul Idlan Talaha (Pahang), Syahmi Safari (Selangor), Abdul Halim Saari (Selangor), Akram Mahinan (PKNS), Danial Amier Norhisham (Felda United), Ifwat Akmal Kassim (Kedah), Irfan Zakaria (KL), Dominic Tan (Police Tero).