SHAH ALAM: Razman Roslan's absence through suspension has complicated coach P. Maniam's plans to plug the holes in Selangor's leaky defence when they face Perak in Sunday's Super League match in Lumut.
The Selangor captain has to serve a one-match suspension after accumulating three yellow cards and his absence could not have come at a worst time.
Selangor conceded seven goals in their last two league matches when they followed a 4-1 loss away to Terengganu on Feb 10 by going down 3-1 against Pahang in Cheras two weeks later.
Although they earned a cleansheet by beating Ministry of Finance 3-0 to advance to the third round of the FA Cup last weekend, Selangor needed 70 minutes to break down the third-tier side.
Centre-back Razman, however, said he has confidence in his teammates’ ability to get their Super League campaign back on track.
"I know my absence could affect the team but I believe we have players capable of stepping in and taking on the responsibility," said Razman, 33, on the sidelines of a Professional Football Association of Malaysia event in Shah Alam on Thursday.
"I'm confident Selangor can still do well. There are two or three players who can step in but it's up to the coach to decide who should replace me.
"I think it's good for the team that there are players fighting to get into the first XI and my hope is that whoever is selected will give it their best."
Ashmawi Yakin or M. Tamil Maran could step in to replace Razman in Selangor's three-man defence alongside Fairuz Abd Aziz and Willian Pacheco.
Razman said it is vital for Selangor to cut out the errors which led to the defeats against Terengganu and Pahang.
"I think individual mistakes were the main reason we conceded seven goals in those two matches," said Razman with Selangor having started the season with wins over Kuala Lumpur (2-0) and Melaka (4-1).
"We were punished every time we made a mistake and seven mistakes led to seven goals conceded. We have to avoid making mistakes and if we can do that, then we will get results."