KUALA LUMPUR: The national junior hockey squad must find solutions and deliver something special to salvage pride after two consecutive defeats in the Under-21 Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC).
On Saturday, I. Vickneswaran's team, ranked 11th in the world junior rankings, lost 3-2 to 13th-ranked New Zealand, followed by a 4-1 upset by 18th-ranked Japan on Sunday at the Taman Daya Stadium, Johor Baru.
Malaysia's remaining matches are against high-flying India on Tuesday, followed by Britain on Wednesday and Australia on Friday.
India, ranked second in the junior rankings and coached by P.R. Sreejesh, lead the standings with six points after two matches, followed by New Zealand (four points), Japan (three), Britain (three), and Australia (one).
Malaysia are yet to secure a point and sit at the bottom of the table.
Vickneswaran's side are talented but struggle with decision-making and tactical awareness during matches.
However, this is somewhat expected, as the national juniors only played six friendly matches against Australian teams in August.
The SoJC offers a timely opportunity for Malaysia to improve ahead of the Junior Asia Cup in Muscat, Oman, from Nov 26-Dec 4.
The top six teams from that tournament will qualify for next year's Junior World Cup in India.
Now, the focus shifts to India, and Malaysia must produce their best game to challenge the South Asian team on Tuesday.
India, led by captain and drag-flick specialist Amir Ali, have been flawless in the tournament with victories over Japan (4-2) and Britain (6-4).
While India have been prolific in attack, their defence has shown vulnerabilities, which Malaysia could exploit with disciplined play.
Crucially, Malaysia must convert their penalty corners, having scored only once from seven opportunities so far.
Against Japan, Malaysia led after 35 minutes through Adam Ashraf Johari, but simple errors allowed Japan to stage a comeback with goals from Hyota Yamada (39th), Yuto Higuchi (43rd), Yamato Kawahara (48th) and Koyo Nishida (51st).
After the defeat, Vickneswaran his team should have won against Japan.
"We're not going to win if we don't take our chances. We can only blame ourselves. "The boys must learn to move the ball more effectively and minimise mistakes in defence. Emotions impact performance, and they need to maintain emotional stability," he said.
Vickneswaran added: "India are a solid team. We need to play a hard, consistent game and hope for the best."
Sreejesh, meanwhile, reminded his team to be cautious on Tuesday.
"Malaysia are playing at home, and their fans will motivate them. We just need to be careful and stick to our game plan," he said.
Tuesday's fixtures: Japan v Australia (4pm), New Zealand v Britain (6.15pm), Malaysia v India (8.35pm).
* All matches at the Taman Daya Stadium, Johor Baru