DOLLAH Salleh wants everyone in his national team to be strikers in the AFF Cup in November.
After three international matches, Dollah has yet to find a prolific striker. Safee Sali, the top scorer in the 2010 AFF Cup, has just recovered from an injury and is only playing 40 per cent of his ability.
As for others, namely Amri Yahyah, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Bobby Gonzales and Ahmad Fakri Saarani, the coach is happy with their form but they are not natural goal scorers.
Pleased with the 4-1 win over Cambodia in a friendly at Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday, Dollah, however, said he was unhappy with the performance.
“If we had played Indonesia or Thailand today (Saturday), we would have lost tamely. However, I am not too concerned as for now I am only looking at individual performances,” said Dollah after the match.
“I will only focus on strategies after I select 22 players two days after the friendly-cum-charity match with Terengganu on Wednesday. Some who are on my mind showed weaknesses against Cambodia.
“I will work on a small group of 22 players ahead of the friendly against Jordan on Oct 11. It is not easy preparing my team as the trainees will report back to their respective clubs for the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals next week.”
Dollah admitted: “I must make the right choices as if I select the wrong players, it may not be ideal for our campaign in the AFF Cup.”
The 51-year-old said Safee is one of best strikers in Malaysia but he is struggling with form.
“But from what I saw today, the striker is trying hard and he still has the desire to play for the country. The short-listed players, whose teams are ousted from the Malaysia Cup, will report to me earlier as I want them to maintain fitness,” said the former international.
In the AFF Cup, Malaysia are in Group B with hosts and defending champions Singapore, Thailand and likely Myanmar.
Dollah, however, is optimistic Malaysia will produce a strong performance in the AFF Cup and achieve their target of reaching the final.
“Football is a team sport. If our strikers don’t score, others can act as cover. Midfielder Joseph Kalang Tie showed me today his quality with two goals,” Dollah added.