Well, it's that time again where we play against one of the top 3 sides in the league. The Cheetahs had a great end to the week before the international break started with a 5-0 hammering over the Jaguars, but with the outgoings of Ajay, what can we expect in time to come when we face the Eagles? Hougang United vs Geylang Int'lš (Round 3 - 2024)
Past Meetings
Suffice, to say that out of the 2 matches played against Geylang International, we have lost 1 and won 1. With the latter being the latest of the 2 . The first time we played Geylang this season, it promised to be a real cracker. Having drawn with perennial title favourites BG Tampines Rovers in a 4-4 draw, as well as a proper thumping of Young Lions that ended 7-1. Let's just say we weren't treated any differently as we also fell to a 6-2 defeat at the Jalan Besar Stadium. It was that match too where we saw a certain someone make his impromptu debut, and also provide fans with something to look forward to for the rest of the campaign. However, it was ironic that we were the ones who ended Geylang's unbeaten streak with a single goal from Racic ā we were able to stifle an uninspired Geylang side and also claim a rare clean-sheet. It was surely a game that proved to be one of our best performances yet this season.
DEadly strikers
It's the Singapore Premier League after all where you expect to see goals come in a flurry week-in week-out, no matter the opposition. In the world of football, the club's main man plays a key role, and of course the Singapore Premier League is no different.
Remember the "Certain Someone"? Well yes that was Dejan Racic's, debut in the league. Quite an impromptu one as well due to the fact that his official announcement was after the game.
However his introduction during that first outing against the Eagles showed how much damage we can cause if we have someone who's clinical and hungry for goals. This is not a dig at Hazzuwan or Banovic, but more of an example of how Racic really complements and personify Marko's style of play. Racic is intelligent, brutish and clinical. He's not the quickest, or the strongest of forwards we have seen in the league, but he works. A real striker, he knows where he wants the ball to be and his size also means that he can push past defenders if needed.
In line with talking about strikers, we also have to talk about Doi from Geylang. Sorry if this feels dull already because of the amount of coverage this man gets, but with performances and a goal tally like what he has now could you argue? But all this isn't to say Doi can't be stopped, because we literally showed that we could.
New Players who dis?
Ok, not so new but still new. Farhan Zukifli has just completed his Naitonal Service and has returned to the side after a short stint with the Young Lions. Farhan has been nothing short of exceptional, and I am not exaggerating once again. Be it for club or country, his tenacity, technicality and acceleration has caused issues for many defence(s). And yes, this sounds like a description for Stjepan but it really isn't. However, that brings us on to a very important conundrum, does Farhan start on the left? Or even start at all? Personally, I think he has to start on the left, just based-off of how good Farhan has been this season.
But there are tradeoffs to every combination you try ā placing Stjepan on the right now means that he has to cut onto his favoured left, and on paper this just means his trademark crosses into the box wouldn't occur as often anymore. Despite this, I think this is still a very viable option, having this means that Shodai, who naturally drifts out wide towards the right flank could provide some width to the attack. And even if that doesn't happen, Nazrul could overlap Stjepan as well. Having 2 inverted wingers does sound very enticing I must say.
Yet another player you might have noticed from that squad that won the historical Singapore Cup in 2022 has returned ā Zulfahmi. Zulfahmi's first appearence back this season was against Albirex Niigata SG and that game really showed us how Marko intended to use him, not something we could see last season when Shahdan was sadly out with an injury and in the later part of the season, Zulfahmi left for a short stint in Indonesia.
With Zulfahmi coming back into the fold, it was rather expected that he would partner Shahdan in a double pivot whilst Shodai lay in front of them. Truly an amazing midfield if you were to ask me, but then again, with Ajay not being part of the squad this isnt't a like for like change and that brings compromises. Compromises in mobility!
heartening stuff
This is another point that will definitely be brought up time and time again, in relation to my previous point on Ajay leaving, this leaves a gap in the midfield. Ajay brings workrate or in laymans' terms 'legs', tirelessly working for the team is something you'd expect out of the youngster, and it was that win against Geylang this season that truly showed his that part of his game. But enough about Ajay, the other player who truly embodies a tireless work ethic and selflessness to find team mates in attacking areas is none other than Shodai.
Shodai has been instrumental and for all the plaudits our Balkan strikeforce gets, it's truly Shodai who sets the tone of the game and also provides some much needed creativity. Shodai was also the man of the match against Geylang in the same fixture.
Shodai is someone who really has been a focal point, other than the obvious players like Stjepan and Racic. Yes, I also do agree that Shodai should perhaps contribute more on the goalscoring front, but in all honesty, his current form isn't too worrying. Remember how Marko has been shuffling between Hazzuwan and Gabriel to find his favoured right winger? Well Shodai also had to fill in sometimes by drifting out wide. All this to just say that Shodai is surely one of our greatest assets, and we should definitely look forward to him causing havoc for Geylang.
Last game of the year
Yeah, time flies doesn't it? It's already the last game of 2024. In essence I think, with the players we have, we should still be able to get another win at Jalan Besar, according to besoccer, Joshua Perreria is the most used right back. Joshua isn't the quickest of right backs and if either Farhan or Stjepan could exploit that weak spot it should be a great matchup. It's crucial that going into this game that we dig deep and try to win as many duels as we can from Geylang. We need to win every challenge and chase for every loose ball and not lose hope at any point during the game. We can now safely say that we have a stacked squad with quality dripping from the benches even!
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Geylang International vs Hougang Quick Report:
- Likes to get ball into Doi as soon as possible
- Dangermen: Naqi, Bezecourt, Doi
-Stop the root cause of issues
-Need to try and exploit that right flank of Geylang as much as possible
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Are you excited to see Farhan back?
0%Yes š¤©
0%No difference
Which matchup are you interested to see?
0%Shodai vs Tezuka
0%Stjepan vs Josh Pereira
0%Racic vs Rio Sakuma
0%Farhan vs Shakir Hamzah
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