The results
After playing the 3 weakest teams of the group, we got 3 wins and we will qualify for next round. We have done what we expected, nothing more. The next 3 games will be very difficult, Australia and China are 2 of the best Asian teams and Taiwan is not far behind. To be honest, it wouldn't be a surprise if we finish this round with a 3-3 record, however, we will try to make a surprise.
The players
As for the players, you may have noticed that the group is quite large, the main reason for that is that many players are quite close, sometimes with different qualities. I have a hard time deciding who to play and who to sit so I consider carefully Game Shape. I can't complain about the players' managers, so far game shapes are quite good and it's always difficult for me to decide who to play. The good point is that there are many players well trained. The bad news is very few of them have a high potential to reinforce the NT in the following years.
The managers
I'm also glad I managed to contact managers of most U21 Malaysia NT players and they all keep in mind the U21 NT when it comes to training. I try never to push them to follow a specific training unless they ask but I sometimes give my opinion on what could be needed for Malaysia U21. So I would like to thank all managers for training their players, either they are in the U21 NT or not.
Next season hopes
I have 2 Malaysian trainees, the 19-year old one has a small chance of making it to the U21 NT next season but looking at the quality of the promising squad, he will probably have to wait after next season. This is good sign for next season, the team being built looks really interesting at the moment and the 8 (!) 20-year old players currently in the team are the early display of it.
Last edited by Nico4nicolas at 2/28/2015 4:46:31 PM