KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Datuk K. Rajagopal was disappointed with his players’ lacklustre performance in the 0-4 defeat by Arsenal at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
He pointed out that the most glaring weakness of the Malaysian team was their toothless strikeforce, something which even Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger commented on at his post-match conference.
“I must admit that Arsenal are at a different level ... they were comfortable on the ball. The early penalty killed the game and we played well in patches,” said Rajagopal.
“The boys tried hard to go forward but our use of the ball was not effective and we went to sleep for the second goal.”
Malaysia started with Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Ahmad Fakri Saarani upfront but were unable to breach the Arsenal defence.
Even the inclusion of substitute Abdul Hadi Yahaya, the newly-crowned Golden Boot winner, made no difference.
Wenger said that Malaysia’s lack of firepower and poor finishing were the difference between the two sides.
Rajagopal also blamed the substitutes for the loss, saying they failed to lift their game.
“Our display and decision-making in the final third was poor. In the second half, we tried to at least pull a goal back but Arsenal were just too strong with their fresh legs,” said Rajagopal.
“I will need to sit and talk with the players about what happened.
“They seemed nervous and didn’t play to their true strengths.”
Malaysia will play Liverpool next on Saturday as their final preparation for the Asian Zone World Cup second round first-leg qualifier against Singapore at the Jalan Besar Stadium on July 23.
Rajagopal’s side, who were previously hampered by an injury crisis to their forwards, suffered another blow when centreback Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abd Razak picked up an injury in the match against Arsenal.
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