HANGZHOU: The national men's hockey squad doesn't need to 'freak out' when thinking about their opponents; instead, they should simply embrace the Malaysian Way.
This straightforward approach is what Speedy Tigers coach A. Arul Selvaraj is adopting in the ongoing Asian Games.
Malaysia, who convincingly defeated Thailand 9-0 and Oman 11-1 in their previous Group B matches, expect to continue their goal-scoring spree as they face minnows Indonesia on Thursday.
Indonesia is currently ranked 60th in the world and is coached by K. Dharmaraj, a former Malaysian national coach and have been at the receiving end of both their earlier matches, losing 10-0 to South Korea and 5-1 against China.
"Playing against Indonesia is just another step toward reaching the Asian Games knockout stage, and we will ensure that our fundamentals are on point.
"The first three games in our group will prepare us for South Korea and China.
"It's not about who we're playing against; that's inconsequential. What truly matters is that we stick to our Malaysian style and maintain good habits, regardless of our opponent," said Arul.
Considering the current performance of the national squad, they shouldn't encounter any issues against Indonesia. A young Malaysian team defeated Indonesia 4-2 at the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May. Additionally, Malaysia's senior side crushed Indonesia 18-1 during the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition."