The Malaysia Experiment - Nordic Travels

"I never lose.
I either win or learn." - Nelson Mandela

20 hours.

That is how long it took us to travel from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Reykjavik, Iceland. We don't fly in private jets as we're lucky enough that FAM finally sanctioned a trip this far so we're not complaining. Once we stepped out of the British Airways plane, breathed in a breath of fresh Scandinavian air, it was all worth the stiff limbs and gassy stomachs from flying economy.

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I'll be sticking to my new 4-1-4-1 DM Asymmetric AM (L) formation to accommodate Benjamin Ibrahim (MR) on the right of midfield this time. So far it has brought me 4 wins and 1 draw so I'd say it has been working for me. There are 3 potential debutants on the squad but I left them on the bench. Iceland (67th) is a team to be reckoned with so we might be in for a long night. A few household names that come to mind are Gylfi Sigurðsson that plays for Everton and Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson that's currently at Burnley.

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It seems like they forgot to bring their shooting boots. 5 shots but none of them on target. Lady luck seems to be on our side so far? I'd better not jinx it. I made 4 changes to the team, sending in Mohd Hafizi Wan Sulaiman (GK), Azhar Nizam (MC) and Asri Mokhtar (ST) for their debuts. I also asked the team to play more defensively and attack on the counter.

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In true Malaysian fashion, my staff team forgot to send in the substitutions and amongst the confusion and frustration, Iceland scored in the 52nd minute. Their two Premier League stars combined, with Sigurðsson (MR) attempting an outrageous backheel for Guðmundsson (MC) to smash it into the net! I must say, it was a thing of beauty. Sometimes you just got to give credit where credit is due.

We finally managed to bring in our subs on the hour mark, not that I'll be putting high hopes on them to make a difference. The game ended 1-0 and I'm pretty satisfied that we managed to keep the score respectable, only losing out to a top quality link-up play that led to the goal. We actually had more shots on target compared to them, despite having lesser possession.

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Next, we travel to Turku to face Finland (55th) at Kupittaan jalkapallostadion. It was definitely a mouthful when I tried to communicate with the bus driver. I'm glad we managed to reach the stadium in time for the match, as we actually have an earlier kickoff compared to the rest of the international friendlies. Strange.

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Finland will be playing a classic 4-4-2 with Lukáš Hrádecký being their star player. It'll not be easy to score past the Leverkusen goalkeeper but I have faith in my attacking quartet! As for Harimau Malaya, I'll be changing back to the previous formation that I used, 4-2-3-1 Wide, which utilizes to wingers on both flanks. You might wonder why. It's because I received club instructions from Johor DT's manager, Ulisses Morais, to only play them for 45 minutes. It's one of those annoying matters that accompanies international management.

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On the other hand, club managers would like to see the players that they're scouting in action. I should've just kept Luqman Hussain (Terengganu II just got relegated) on the bench so Morais would have traveled 20 hours for nothing. And have I mentioned that these fussy club managers are annoying? :p

Alright. I don't even want to comment about this match. Our defense was just poor. Utterly dismal. Joel Pohjanpalo (ST) single-handedly dismantled us as our back four couldn't deal with his presence.

14th minute - A right-footed toe poke 2 yards away from the goal after great work on the right by Teemu Pukki (ST).

22nd minute - A header where Shakir Roslan (DC) didn't even try to compete for led to another Pohjanpalo goal.

67th minute - Another header, this time outside of the 6-yard box. Different player marking him this time, but same 'relak' attitude displayed by Asri Mohktar. I'm speechless. The hattrick is complete.

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5 minutes from time, our wingers finally had some sense in them to play some proper football. Lee Jinxiang (AMR) chased after a long ball, who in turn crossed it over for Hussain to chase. He unleashed a powerful shot from his left foot and Hrádecký tried to save it but it cannoned off his hand and went in. What a way to mark your 30th appearance!

The game ended 3-1 and thus concludes our Nordic trip with 2 losses. I told the boys not to take it to heart but to learn from this valuable experience. The European countries are a different level altogether. At least, now we know where we stand in the bigger picture.

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Oh, and Morais had the nerve to appear in my friendlies again, to watch Lee Jinxiang (PJ Rangers) play this time! I bet it was his plan all along, to limit Benjamin Ibrahim's playing time so I'm forced to play Lee Jinxiang. Fuming!

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The Malaysia Experiment - WCQ Final Stage Kicks Off!

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