Football

Avoid making silly mistakes, says Harimau defender Cools

KUALA LUMPUR: Captain Dion Cools reminded his players not to make silly mistakes in tomorrow's friendly against Turkmenistan at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri.

Cools, who plays in Thai League 1 with Buriram United, said Harimau Malaya players need to focus and play to coach Kim Pan Gon's tactics.

The 26-year-old said his team are feeling confident and ready to beat world No 135 Turkmenistan again after the 3-1 win in the Asian Cup qualifiers in Bukit Jalil last year.

World No 145 Malaysia have been training at Johor Darul Ta'zim's Seri Gelam since last week.

"I still remember last year's match against Turkmenistan. We were aggressive and rattled them," said Cools in Johor Baru today.

"Although we won, we conceded a soft goal due to a defensive mistake. We have to avoid making mistakes tomorrow.

"We defenders have to be solid and avoid conceding goals. At the same time, we must help create chances and score goals."

Cools said Pan Gon's decision to bring in quality players and youngsters like JDT's Feroz Baharudin is a good move as it will create more options ahead of the Asian Cup.

"Pan Gon has called up the right blend of quality players. The coach wants the team to be consistent and play better football.

"As a player who has played in Europe, I hope to use that experience to help the team beat Turkmenistan tomorrow."

Most Popular
Related Article
Says Stories