KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will take on Palestine in an international football friendly at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Monday without defensive duo Facundo Garces and Dion Cools, said head coach Peter Cklamovski.
Garces and Dion Cools, who helped Harimau Malaya beat Singapore 2-1 in a friendly in Bukit Jalil on Thursday, have rejoined their clubs.
Garces flew back to Spain for Granada’s clash with Athletic Bilbao while Cools rejoined Cerezo Osaka in Japan.
The win over Singapore earned Malaysia 3.86 points, lifting them to 1,142 overall and up two places to world No. 123, their highest in recent months.
Cklamovski dismissed suggestions that the absence of midfielder Hector Hevel had caused Malaysia to look unbalanced against Singapore.
Instead, he pointed to lapses in tempo, ball circulation and positional distances as collective issues.
“It’s never about one player. When 11 guys move the ball too slowly, take too many touches, the distances become too big, and we disconnect from our game,” he said.
Cklamovski was also quick to shield Arif Aiman Hanapi from criticism after a quieter performance than usual from the star winger.
“Arif is an outstanding player and tonight his performance was solid from a team perspective,” he said.
“Everyone expects magic from him every time he touches the ball. He’s a highly skilled professional, and he aspires to represent Malaysia and make the country proud. I’m proud of his performance tonight.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
