Though Malaysia failed to get what they wanted, the verdict from Jordan coach Vital Borkelmans was not that bad.
After World No 159 Malaysia lost 1-0 to World No 99 Jordan in an international friendly at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil on Friday, Borkelmans saw something good in Tan Cheng Hoe’s team.
Borkelmans, who was previously a member of the Belgian national coaching staff, said the Malaysia team do have a promising future.
The 56-year-old said he is impressed by Malaysia’s game and he felt that Cheng Hoe’s team can go on to achieve good results if they can iron out some minor flaws.
But Borkelmans said the Malaysian players need time to mature and reach a higher level to be able to compete against formidable international teams.
“I think Malaysian players are physically good and they have quality. The coach (Cheng Hoe) can work on these players.”
Borkelmans was also impressed by the 14,000 Malaysian fans at the National Stadium, whom he dubbed as the “biggest supporters” he had ever seen.
“They were amazing. Even in a bad situation where you lose, your supporters are always with the team. I have a lot of respect for these guys,” he said.
However, Borkelmans must be secretly pleased that his team could still beat Malaysia at Bukit Jalil despite missing six regulars. The six will only join the Jordan team in Taipei for a World Cup qualifying match on Thursday.
Cheng Hoe said he has seen some positives in Harimau Malaya amid the loss to Jordan.
“I am pleased with the performance of our players and proud that they were committed and gave it their best.
“We started the first half slow. In the second half, we pushed hard to equalise but unfortunately we didn’t get it.
“Overall, we need to be consistent in our performance if we are to go to the next level,” he said.
“In the second half, our players showed they can raise the tempo, keep the ball well, attack with good combinations. When we lost the ball, we fought hard to get it back.
“But we need to play like this for 90 minutes, not 45 minutes. I think everyone knows the way we play... high intensity and tempo which is why our players need to be good enough to keep the ball rather than losing it.”
Cheng Hoe also commented on several players who need to improve though they are in his final 23-man squad.
He said Felda United’s Danial Amier Norhisham, 22, who made his international debut against Jordan, still has a lot to learn.
He added that newcomer J. Partiban of Perak will have to adapt to the national team’s playing style while Brendan Gan, played well after returning to the national team following an absent of three years due to injury.
“Adam (Nor Azlin of JDT) and Shahrul Saad (Perak) need to improve a bit as they are the last defensive line. When we lose the ball, they need to quickly be in command to regain ball possession,” he said.