Pressure is on Singapore: Malaysia coach says Singapore's foreign players heightens expectations to perform well

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KUALA LUMPUR - They are the kings of South-east Asian football: The dust has yet to settle on their winners' medals from the 2009 SEA Games and last year's AFF Suzuki Cup but Malaysia coach K Rajagobal believes that when his team face Singapore on July 23 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, and again in Kuala Lumpur on July 28 for the two-leg Asian Zone FIFA World Cup qualifier, the pressure will be on the Lions to deliver.

"The thing you don't realise is that there are five foreign - naturalised citizens - in the Singapore team. Who has the advantage, who has to perform well?" asked Rajagobal, on the sidelines of the Liverpool Asia Tour 2011 press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

China-born duo Qiu Li and Shi Jiayi form a key part of Lions' boss Radojko Avramovic's plans, as do the Serbian-born pair of Aleksandar Duric and Mustafic Fahrudin, with defensive lynchpin Daniel Bennett rounding up the naturalised citizens in the Lions' squad.

Singapore endured a torrid 2010 that started with failure to qualify for the Asian Cup finals, and ended with a shock exit at the group stages of the Suzuki Cup, which Malayia went on to win.

But Rajagobal insists it is the Republic who seem self-assured.

"Singapore are confident. Raddy knows my team and he says our defence is weak," said Rajagobal, who drew attention to the relative youth of his defenders, four of whom are aged 23 and below.

"Yes, in some matches we made sloppy mistakes and the players have to learn, they have room to improve. Compare that to Singapore who have Hariss Harun, he's 20, the rest of them are experienced defenders."

In their recent competitive fixtures, the Malaysian defence conceded four goals to unfancied Taiwan in the first round of the World Cup qualifiers. The two-leg affair ended 4-4, with Malaysia edging it on away goals.

By his own admission, Rajagobal asserts that his charges have not displayed the form that won them the Suzuki Cup.

"We have not been our actual selves after the AFF Suzuki Cup. We need the players to find their normal selves: to raise the tempo of play, the intensity … and to be more aggressive in the attacking third," he said.

Malaysia fell 4-0 to Arsenal in a friendly on Wednesday, with central defender Aidil Zafuan carried off with what appeared to be a knee injury, but the coach is not too perturbed.

"(Arsenal manager) Arsene Wenger said that we were disciplined in defence and good on the counterattack … and when we can do that against Arsenal, that's a good thing," he said.

Malaysia face Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool in their final tune-up match tomorrow, while Singapore take on Taiwan on Monday.

Said Rajagobal: "Malaysia versus Singapore is a local derby that's always very close … you don't need extra motivation."