KUCHING: Any team hoping to become the Malaysia Cup champion needs the services of the maximum number of foreign players possible as well as a little luck, said Sarawak’s head coach Robert Alberts.
The Dutchman was commenting on his team which was unfortunate this season for failing to utilise fully its four foreign imports due to injuries hitting Bosnia-Herzegovinian striker Muamer Salibasic and Lebanese’s Hassan El Mohamed.
Sarawak was the semifinalist last season but finished at the bottom of Group B this season after their 1-1 draw with Perak last night.
“We lost Muamer from the start of the season. He is the catalyst of the team in the engine room to provide balls to the strikers,” he said.
Alberts said he did not replace Muamer when the transfer window opened because his doctor had assured that Muamer would be able to play again.
“Only if we had a player of Muamer’s calibre together with Gabor (Gypes) and Ryan (Griffiths) then we could have done better in the Malaysia Cup competition this season,” he said.
According to Alberts there was a missing link in the Sarawak team because none of the local players could play like Muamer in sending the ball to the strikers to score.
Commenting on the 1-1 draw with Perak, Alberts said it was an undeserved draw.
“I think we should have won the match because we dominated the match and we had several very good scoring opportunities but our players just couldn’t capitalise on them,” said Alberts.
He was referring to two misses by Akhmal Rizan and one by Lot Ali Hassan in front of Perak’s yawning goalmouth.
Asked if Perak’s goal scored in the 79th minutes was an off-side goal, Alberts had this to say: “According to the video yes but at the different angle maybe it is not an off-side, and that also if the lineman was at the right position.”
Alberts however said the equaliser somehow frustrated the players after their protest was ignored by the referee. — Bernama