HANGZHOU: Malaysia's 9-0 thrashing of Thailand on Sunday must not make the national men's hockey team too comfortable in their Asian Games gold quest.
The Speedy Tigers should take into consideration that Group B rivals South Korea had thrashed Indonesia 10-0, and China struggled to beat Oman.
After the Thailand game, Malaysia coach A. Arul Selvaraj reminded his men that there are still some areas not at the desired level and fast improvement must be made when they face Oman tomorrow.
"We know it's the first game (against Thailand), and all the players were eager to play and score. But I saw some weaknesses that we need to improve on."
Arul saw how China struggled to contain Oman in their own backyard, and it gave him an idea on how to approach his next opponents.
"Anyway, it's more important for us to focus on the preparation of our own team. As to how we will play, our discipline and concept will be the key factors to win three points," said Arul.
Based on rankings, Oman are 27th in the world compared to Thailand's 54th.
World No. 10 Malaysia had won their last three encounters against Oman, with the latest a 7-0 victory at the 2022 Asia Cup.