Youth development is key, says Malaysian coach

Malaysia's conquest of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup was a product of a rededication to grassroots development, their national team coach said.

Datuk K. Rajagopal, who led the Malayan Tigers to that stunning victory against Indonesia, spoke at the press conference earlier today touting the international friendly between his side and the Philippine Azkals slated tomorrow, where he stressed how going back to basics helped Malaysia recapture its place among the region's elite teams.

"Because we won the AFF Suzuki Cup, everybody was thinking how we did it," said Coach K, as he is called. "We have to start from the basics. The youth have to be given more emphasis, the grassroots level and more exposure. And then you can see the team will definitely progress. Attention should be given to the youth and age group. Now you can see the progress of Malaysia, especially the young ones, the youth team. That should be the way."

The Philippines was the other big story at the 2010 Suzuki Cup, where the Azkals' semifinal finish sparked the football renaissance the country is currently experiencing, and Coach K said if we continue to build on this initial success, good things will soon happen.

"I think the Philippines is also going in the right direction," said Coach K, who also led the Malaysian under-23 team to the gold medal in last year's Southeast Asian Games. "At the AFF Suzuki Cup, I think the Philippines played well. That is why they are getting the attention from the youth players who are looking forward to progressing. I think very soon the Philippines will be among the best in Southeast Asia."

Prior to 2010, Malaysia had never won the ASEAN football crown, even back when the event was still called the Tiger Cup back in the late 1990s. Coach K took over both the seniors and under-23 teams in 2009 and the following year led the seniors team to a 5-3 aggregate win over Indonesia in the Suzuki Cup finals. He followed that up by leading the under-23 team to a gold medal in the SEA Games in 2011.

For tomorrow's match, Malaysia will be returning to the scene of one of the biggest upsets in Philippine football history. Twenty-one years ago, in the 1991 Manila Southeast Asian Games, the host country beat Malaysia, 1-0, in a stunning result that eliminated the defending champions and allowed the Philippines to advance to the semifinals for the first time ever.

Since then, however, Malaysia has owned the Philippines, winning the next four duels by an aggregate of 19-1. The last meeting took place in 2007 in Bangkok, with the Tigers winning 4-1. But if you ask Coach K, past results, especially one that happened 21 years ago, mean little.

"I think history is history," he said. "Anyone is able to play their best and upset in a given time, in a given situation. I hope that that is not what will be playing in my mind, but yes, I know what I'm going to expect from the Philippines. As I said, we can't talk about 10 years or 15 years ago. I think you have a very strong team, and based on that our mentality should be to go out and win the match. The same goes for the Philippine team. I hope that it will be a good game."

Coach K is a big believer in short passes, and hinted this is what he will rely on heavily in tomorrow's match.

"I always believed in the short passing game and it's most suited (to us). It's like an identity. Every country and part of the world, they have their own identity. I think that suits our kind of players. That should be our strength and normally it depends on the situation of the game, how your opponent is going to play. I love to see the short passing game, which is quite effective for us."

Also on hand were Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss and players Phil Younghusband, Jason Sabio and Neil Etheridge. While all of them are not looking past Malaysia, they were one in saying that tomorrow's friendly will help them a great deal in their preparation for the AFC Challenge Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal next month.

"We've been watching the tapes from last year, and we already have information from the Suzuki Cup," Weiss said. "But obviously, a team is always changing, and we will have to see tomorrow how we will approach the team. We are very strong when we play at home. Like most of the teams, when they go out, they don't have the same confidence like they have at home.

"So I hope we can take advantage of that and give Malaysia not only a good fight but also look on our big challenge after Malaysia, which is the Challenge Cup. That will be a stern test for our players and we will have to see when we analyze the match where we have to get better. Apart from the excitement, it will also give us a good view of our defense. We were working on that pretty much in Dubai. I also expect the team to be defensively organized and to hopefully not allow a goal. Compared to our match against the Australia U-23 in Dubai, we have Phil and James Younghusband coming back. So we have a decent crew, even without the players based abroad."

"This will be a great test for us," said Etheridge. "I've got a lot of respect for the Malaysian team. Like ourselves, we've got players coming in and out. I'm sure they've got players on the outskirts that their coaches are gonna try in the game tomorrow. But we'll go into every game wholeheartedly, and this is a great preparation for the Challenge Cup next month."

"Although I've never played Malaysia, I'm very excited to play tomorrow," said Sabio. "I think it's a good test. I mean, they are the reigning Suzuki Cup champions, so obviously they're a quality team. It's a good test to see where you are and see if you've improved and also an opportunity to get better."

Younghusband said he had been looking forward to playing Malaysia in the 2010 Suzuki Cup finals, but the team couldn't get past Indonesia, which won 2-0 on aggregate.

"We were very disappointed to come out in the semifinals in 2010 and wanted a chance to play in the finals. But for us, that was a good experience and it's about moving forward. We're looking forward to the game and if we can get a good result then that will be a good step for Philippine football."

Coach K said overall he was impressed with the new Philippine team, and singled out a few players who impressed him the most.

"Recently when you had the World Cup qualifying here, you had the midfielder (Stephan Schrock). He was quite impressive. You have the two brothers here (the Younghusbands) who have been playing for quite some time. And then you have a very strong goalkeeper who has the experience giving the strength behind your players. And also your captain (Aly Borromeo). I don't know whether he's playing. I'm quite impressed with the team."

Malaysia will be led by Mohd Safee Mohd Sali, the top scorer in the 2010 Suzuki Cup where he scored five goals, and Baddrol Bakthiar, who captained the SEAG team that won the gold last year.

E-mail: sid_ventura@yahoo.com. Twitter: @Sid_Ventura.