"Harimau Kumbang" lacking bite?

After three Premier League matches, Penang are still seen struggling and its chief coach Jackson F. Tiago regards his players as playing under stress.

He said match strategies and attack tactics had been worked on but they were not interpreted into goals during matches.

"Team work and attempts to score were there but the final touches did not result in goals. Maybe, the players placed themselves under pressure.

"The issue here is the changing of the game plan 20 minutes into a match, they start to lose control of the ball. The situation is different during training," he told reporters after their match against PKNS FC here, Friday night.

During the match, Penang won narrowly 1-0 from an import player Beto Goncalves' penalty in the 44th minute. But they were forced to play with 10 players after midfielder Muhammad Redzuan Mohd Suhaidi was shown the red card in the 84th minute.

The opening match against Kuantan FA on home ground on Feb 6 also saw Harimanu Kumbang winning via an own goal by the opposition team 1-0. They drew scoreless against T-Team on Feb 13.

Tiago urged his players to show their full potential and act creatively to create space and opportunity, to be at the front.

Touching on his plans for the coming match, he urged his players to be calm and to enjoy the game rather than allow themselves to succumb to pressure, and to focus on the aim of the team.