KUALA LUMPUR: The national men’s football team, it is said, are now scoring goals faster than before since coming under coach Peter Cklamovski.
It used to take Malaysia about 73 minutes to score a goal in a game and now it’s just 51.
Since Australian Cklamovski took over in late March, Harimau Malaya have found the net seven times and conceded just three across four matches, including a 4-0 thrashing of Vietnam in an Asia Cup qualifier on June 10.
That works out to scoring once every 51 minutes, while conceding only one every 120 minutes.
By contrast, Malaysia scored just once every 73 minutes last year, but conceded too often — once every 55 minutes. Former Malaysian international Hasnizam Uzir said this is due to the philosophy and identity Cklamovski has introduced to the national team.
“By playing high pressing to win the ball quickly, Malaysia can control the tempo of the game far better than before.” He said the change is due to the quality of the players in the current squad.
“All the players called up to Harimau Malaya have strong technical ability and a high game IQ. They can make fast and accurate decisions to trap their opponents, whether they are in possession or not,” he said.
“It makes it easier for Cklamovski to plan his strategy because he knows each player brings a unique quality.”
In April last year, Malaysia were ranked 132nd with 1,115.5 points. In July, they have surged to 125th with 1,138.5 points — a six-place climb and a statement of intent.
Malaysia are scoring faster, conceding slower, and climbing quicker. If this becomes a sustained trend, a return to the top world 100 may not be far.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
