Malaysia team is more formidable than ever

Malaysia - Vietnam's "favorite opponent" for the past 10 years - is changing day by day and seems more formidable than ever.

Malaysia team (left) becomes formidable with many changes - Photo: FAM

The Malaysian team is very determined in the confrontation with Vietnam on June 10. A victory over Vietnam will not only help the "Harimau Tigers" erase the 10-year streak of draws and losses to Vietnam, but also confirm the return of Malaysian football.

Malaysia is confident

Malaysia's confidence stems from two main reasons. The first is the appearance of coach Peter Cklamovski, who took over the hot seat of the Malaysian team in December 2024. Having only led the Malaysian team for three matches with a record of 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, Mr. Cklamovski has breathed new life into the team, the football that Malaysia is playing is modern and highly up-to-date.

Mr. Cklamovski showed his understanding of the Malaysian players by playing short balls, exploiting the individual abilities of the players to the fullest. Malaysia is still very strong in the competition but emphasizes skill and team spirit. In addition to choosing a suitable coach, Malaysia is also more confident thanks to the appearance of many naturalized players.

In this training session, the Malaysian team has three other naturalized players, Endrick, Paulo Josue (Brazil), Romel Morales (Colombia) and eight players of Malaysian origin, including Matthew Davies (Australia), La'Vere Corbin-Ong (Barbados), Quentin Cheng (China), Daniel Ting, Stuart Wilkin (England), Facundo Garcés (Argentina), Dion Cools (Belgium), Rodrigo Julián Holgado (Argentina) and Nooa Laine (Finland).

The Vietnamese team is actively practicing to prepare for the match against Malaysia - Photo: HOANG TUNG

The problem lies in the spirit.

This squad is highly rated as it has quality players in all three lines. Especially in attack, Malaysia can use three naturalized strikers Romel Morales, Paulo Josue and Rodrigo Julián Holgado.

This will be a big challenge for the Vietnamese defenders who still have many mistakes. Meanwhile, the Malaysian defense has just added center back Facundo Garcés (playing in the Spanish Championship) to increase their strength.

When the key positions of the Malaysian team have been filled by naturalized stars, coach Peter Cklamovski only needs to add excellent local players, and Malaysia will become a formidable opponent.

Compared to Vietnam, the Malaysian team has prepared more thoroughly for the decisive match on June 10. They tested the squad with two friendly matches against Cape Verde (drawing 1-1 and losing 0-3). This is a necessary match for the Malaysian players to "warm up", create cohesion and understand more about Coach Cklamovski's philosophy.

Malaysia’s biggest problem right now is mentality, spirit and confidence. Continuous defeats against Vietnam will either make Malaysian players more determined or make them more reserved.

Another concern that may exist in the Malaysian team is that the spirit of unity for a common goal and the national flag is not high. This is also really understandable when Malaysia is currently gathering too many players from many different places.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuyen-malaysia-dang-gom-hon-bao-gio-het-20250605080830178.htm