Pan Gon wants consistency against Cambodia

PETALING JAYA: Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon will be rooting for nothing less than a win against Cambodia when both teams meet in a friendly match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow.

Though a win is important, the South Korean coach feels consistency and the ability to execute the tactical plans would be more crucial.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow's friendly against the world number 177, Pan Gon said he wants to see his charges, with many joining his training camp for the first time, be able to keep up the 'Malaysian DNA' instilled over the last few days.

The 53-year-old South Korean, also promised that the fans will be able to enjoy the action of some new recruits in the team compared to the Asian Cup qualifiers in June and the Thai King's Cup in September when his charges face the Cambodians.

"The match against Cambodia and Maldives next week is part of our preparations for the AFF Cup. This will be paramount for the team and a good opportunity for us to judge whether the players are ready to play the tactics we planned or not.

"We want the national team to follow the philosophy and team style, keep our Harimau Malaya game style, no matter whoever plays. We have shared a lot of information with the young players, they should be very tired mentally with this new information," the head coach said.

Pan Gon also admitted that a few among the 28 listed, probably will miss the match against Cambodia due to injuries and personal illness, but did not reveal their names.

Asked about the target for the AFF Cup which is scheduled from Dec 20 to Jan 16, Pan Gon said though he is very passionate about the regional tournament, he can't set targets based on his personal intention before testing the team's real capability.

Meanwhile, Cambodian head coach Ryu Hirose wants his charges to bring back some valuable experience to face the AFF Cup since he had only a short period to prepare the team, adding that he could only call up the players after the Cambodian Premier League concluded last Saturday.

"We just managed a short preparation period before arriving here, but for sure we want to prove a point tomorrow, especially on the tactics ahead of the AFF Cup. We planned to play more friendlies but unfortunately can't make it, so this will be our only warm-up before the regional tournament," the Japanese coach said.

After the match against Cambodia, Malaysia (world number 146) will be facing Maldives (154) on Wednesday at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras, before Pan Gon finalises the 23-men squad for the AFF Cup.

Malaysia, drawn in Group B in the biennial competition, will be facing Myanmar in Yangon on Dec 21, Laos at Bukit Jalil (Dec 24), Vietnam in Hanoi (Dec 27) and welcome Singapore in Bukit Jalil (Jan 3), with only the top two of the group moving into the semi-finals.

-- BERNAMA