Words like “humiliating” and “embarrassing” were used to describe Malaysia’s 3-0 defeat to Thailand in the on-going AFC Under-23 Asian Cup.
The Malaysian youngsters lost their earlier match to South Korea (4-1), and the second defeat in the group stage resulted in them being booted out of the tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
FA of Malaysia’s (FAM) technical director Scott O’Donnell was quick to point out that Malaysia still had another match against Vietnam today.
“There’s not been any discussion about Brad’s future. He is still in the tournament,” said O’Donnell.
“The team’s performance will be reviewed upon their return. We will then sit down and see what steps to take to help the players and coaches,” he added.
Maloney, in his pre-match press conference yesterday, described Vietnam as a force to be reckoned with.
“But as I said, our players can compete with them, and I’m sure they will do so tomorrow (today),” said Maloney.
He added he would be rotating players, as some of them were fatigued, and would give “minutes to players who haven’t played a lot”.
“We are the youngest team in the group, and we brought 15 players who are eligible for the next tournament. We would like to give them as much experience as possible.”
There were certainly tired legs in Maloney’s team. The team started their SEA Games campaign in Hanoi on May 7 and played their last match of the tournament on May 22 – losing the bronze medal to Indonesia. In short, the team played six games in 16 days.
However, certain groups are intensifying calls for Maloney to be given the boot.
Maloney also came under scrutiny following the team’s performance at the AFF Under-23 Championship in February – that saw Malaysia losing twice to regional minnows, Laos (2-1 and 2-0).
But would replacing Maloney make a difference?
Malaysian football has been in a steady decline for decades. There were pockets of successes at various levels, but generally, Malaysian football has not evolved on the international stage compared to the likes of Thailand, and regional powerhouse, Vietnam.
This, despite the fact that millions of taxpayers’ money had been spent on grassroots programmes nationwide – in schools and those carried out at the state level. The lack of consistency is evident.
Ironically, Malaysia boasts some of the best infrastructure in the region.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob committed another RM10 million to FAM to develop the sport. Officials from other more deserving sports cringed, as football in Malaysia is often used – and abused – for political mileage.
Maloney is working with the nation’s “cream of the crop” but it has been proven that the nation’s best are nowhere near the standards of their peers from Thailand and Vietnam.
In fact, the series of failures exposed another major issue – the lack of game time by Maloney’s players.
Some of them are just bench warmers but are forced to perform when they see action in international competitions.
Training alone doesn’t make one a better player. It’s game time – and plenty of it – that makes the footballers better athletes.
Clubs are often hesitant to field youngsters for fear of not obtaining full points.
By comparison, the Thais and Vietnamese are tactically sound and remain pumped up till the very end –evident in the late equaliser by Vietnam against South Korea in the Asian Cup. Both teams settled for a 1-1 draw as Vietnam showed the other teams that it was in the same league as the Asian giants.
Make no mistake, Malaysian players are skilful and some of them are quick on the flanks but they still have a long way to go in terms of tactical and technical abilities. They need more time on the field, playing in a competitive environment.
The “elite-centric” mindset must also be squashed as the best coaches should be where it matters the most – at the grassroots level. They will help guide the young ones to ensure they get the basics right and develop good technical and tactical habits.
The buck shouldn’t stop at Maloney and his team. Clubs should also take full responsibility and start giving their youngsters a shot on the field.
The youngsters too, must repay the faith bestowed upon them by putting in the extra effort. Otherwise, they will continue to be sidelined and end up being “average footballers” with no international trophies or medals to show for.
