For the first time in TCH’s reign as Malaysia’s coach, he will have viable options in central midfield but Akram Mahinan remains central to his plan.
Quite often in football, the midfield battle is the one that decides how the match will turn out. Win the fight and take control of the midfield, and half the match is already won. That will be the area that Malaysia will look to impose themselves on when they take to the field at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on September 5.
Cheng Hoe used the Jordan match to assess the other options where Brendan Gan started the match alongside Danial Amier and Nor Azam Azih. Akram was not called upon in that match but he remains an important member of the coach’s midfield and barring an injury, will be one of the first names on the team sheet on Thursday.
The likelihood is that Akram will be selected together with Brendan and Nor Azam, which will give Malaysia a very balanced look in midfield. Akram to be the controller of transition at the base of the midfield, Brendan being the box-to-box roaming midfielder and Nor Azam holding the keys to creation.
“We are ready physically and mentally for the game on the 5th. My team mates and I are fully committed and I just hope we can maintain the focus until game day. This will be my first time facing Indonesia since representing Malaysia and if I’m picked, I will give my best for sure. What is important is that we get the three points to take back home.
“All the combinations are good and it depends on what the coach plans. We are ready and we’ve trained hard, ready to be fielded if required. We are excited and nervous at the same time. We must be smart to overcome and take on the nerves. So we want to turn that nerve into excitement to play as soon as possible because we want to collect points to bring back to Malaysia,” said Akram on Tuesday.
Often a misunderstood member of the team particularly by fans, Akram is a player that Cheng Hoe truly cherish. A player that the coach relies on to be the first man to pick up the ball from the defence and kickstart Malaysia’s passing move into attack as well as the first man to maintain the defensive shape off the ball.
Having already played his part in Malaysia’s run to the final of the 2018 AFF Championship, Akram looks set to be continuing his role in the starting XI as Malaysia embarks on the road that could take them to the 2022 World Cup, even though the 2023 Asian Cup remains the more plausible and true target of these qualifers.
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