Category: News
These days, Adam Swandi is playing with a swagger that has not been seen for quite some time and it is not hard to see why.
Entrusted to play in midfield for the last three matches, the silky playmaker has been one of the standout performers for the Lion City Sailors. And he is set for a fourth straight start as the Sailors take on Hougang United at Hougang Stadium in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) on Friday (26 August) night.
After a difficult period of injuries and non-selection, Adam is delighted that he is seeing light at the end of the tunnel and has rediscovered the form that has reminded the football fraternity why he was previously touted as Singapore football’s next big thing.
“Of course, for every player, the main thing is to play and directly contribute to the team. Nothing can beat the feeling of performing on the pitch and being there to cover for your teammates,” said the 26-year-old.
“It was frustrating and I felt I can contribute more, but at the same time I do understand we have a huge pool of players so I just have to work hard and wait for the right timing.”
The right timing did come in early August as he took advantage of the injury-enforced absence of Shahdan Sulaiman and M. Anumanthan, starting at the heart of the Sailors’ midfield against Balestier Khalsa and acquitted himself well enough in the 4-0 win – completing his first 90 minutes since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in July 2019.
Adam was then kept in the lineup for the subsequent two matches – 10-1 and 7-0 victories over Young Lions and Tanjong Pagar United respectively – marking the first time he started in a extended run of games since that horrific injury.
And he is now hungry for more.
“I was nervous at that time because I haven’t played a full 90 minutes for a while and I wasn’t certain of my match fitness. But with the help of my teammates and the coaching staff, I managed to play a decent game (against Balestier) and stake my claim in the team.
“That really was a confidence booster, and I’m happy that I’ve been starting and contributing to the team directly. Hopefully this is just the start – I want to keep going in this manner till the end of the season,” he asserted.
Usually deployed as a no. 10 or a winger earlier in his career, Adam acknowledged it has been “odd” to be deployed in a deeper midfield role of late, but he is relishing the experience and enjoying the responsibilities that come with it.
“As players, we learn to adapt and I knew I just had to do my best for the team, regardless of what position I play. At the end of the day, it’s a team game,” he said.
“Now it’s a different ball game – I’m deeper into our own half. It’s not so much the assists or goals, but more of the passes that lead to the final passes. I’m starting to love it and it makes my job a lot easier when I turn, look up and see the top-quality players we have in the attacking third – guys who can make even a simple pass look good.”
It is still early days under the interim charge of Luka Lalić, but the Sailors have looked slick on the pitch and against Hougang they are targeting a third straight win under the Serbian.
“It’s been a positive start under Coach Luka, we’re adapting well to a new system under him and everyone’s been trying hard to prove their worth going towards this stage of the season (with eight games left),” said Adam.
“Hougang is a pretty good team with quality national players and fast attackers. But whatever it is, we’re going to give our all to get the three points. We’re on a quest to defend our title and earn the right to compete in the ACL (Asian Football Confederation Champions League) again next year.”
The Lion City Sailors took another step in their quest for the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) title, as they overcame Balestier Khalsa 3-0 at the Yishun Stadium on Saturday evening (20 August).
The previous time the two teams met, the Sailors were made to wait till the last 30 minutes of the game to break the deadlock, with the Tigers proving themselves a tough nut to crack with their deep, defensive line.
This time it took only 13 minutes for defender Umairah Hamdan to give the Sailors the lead. Five minutes later, in-form midfielder Izzati Rosni doubled the Sailors’ advantage, before Dorcas Chu wrapped up the three points with a third Sailors’ goal in the 76th minute.
Sailors Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan believes that the first goal was crucial, forcing Balestier to play a more expansive game.
“Getting a goal early is one of the ways to force our opponents to come out and play. To be fair to Balestier, they were quite positive in the match. They were still tight in defence, but didn’t just sit back,” said Sheau Shyan.
“We have been working hard on our attacking combinations and finishing in the attacking third, so as to create more opportunities, and help us score under pressure. From the early goals that we scored today, it’s clear that our hard work has paid off.”
Sheau Shyan, however, admitted that the Sailors were unable to impose themselves in the second half, although she praised her charges for remaining professional to keep a clean sheet and prevent Balestier from getting back into the game.
“We started the game strongly and moved the ball with much needed urgency in the first half. I was very pleased with the work they put in off the ball, making options for passes and also counter-pressing the opponents quickly to win the ball back during transition,” she reflected.
“Although the pace was much slower in the second half, and some of our passes were sloppy, we did what was needed to get the three points and another clean sheet.”
With the win, the Sailors remain five points clear at the top of the WPL table, with one game in hand over their closest title rivals, Tanjong Pagar United.
The Sailors can effectively secure the league title with three more wins.
While revealing that the team was “excited” at the prospect of becoming WPL champions, Sheau Shyan drew positives from the Sailors’ progress throughout the season.
“The team is very excited, not just about the possibility of winning the title in our first year, but also how we’ve progressed in our football,” Sheau Shyan mused. “The unity and chemistry is starting to show, and it can only get better from here. We are all looking forward to seeing what more we can achieve.”
The Sailors will next take on Hougang United this Saturday (27 Aug) at the Yishun Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7.30pm.
The Lion City Sailors picked up exactly where they left off, thumping Tanjong Pagar United 7-0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 August) for their second big-margin win – following the 10-1 demolition of Young Lions – in the first two games under the charge of interim Head Coach Luka Lalić.
Up by two goals at the break, the defending Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions ran riot in the second half and plundered another five goals in a free-flowing display. The result meant the Sailors restored their three-point lead over nearest challengers Albirex Niigata (S) at the summit of the SPL standings, holding a significant advantage in the goal difference count (10) over the White Swans.
While satisfied with how his team has applied what was practised over the past week and turned in a fluent display of football, Luka is not getting carried away.
“There were a lot of good things for sure. We spent the week building a new way of how we want to play and I’m happy that they applied some of the principles tonight, so credit goes to the players for that,” said the 35-year-old.
“But not everything went according to plan and we still have a lot of things to build on. I’ve worked in football long enough to know that it’s never all sunshine and rainbows; I stand firmly with both feet on the ground and I’m not fooled by the team scoring 17 goals in two games.”
Luka switched it up for this one, with five changes from the lineup that started in the Young Lions win, as the likes of captain Hariss Harun, Shahdan Sulaiman and goalkeeper Hassan Sunny all returned to the first eleven.
The reshuffled team started brightly with Gabriel Quak and Saifullah Akbar rocking the woodwork before the Sailors finally opened the scoring in the 10th minute. After a delightful exchange with Diego Lopes, Maxime Lestienne showed impeccable technique to cushion a side-foot volley past Fashah Iskandar for his ninth league goal.
Saifullah, in particular, was excelling in an unfamiliar left-back role in place of the suspended Nur Adam Abdullah and coped well with the threat of Aqhari Abdullah down his flank.
Meanwhile on his third straight start, Adam Swandi was dictating the tempo and pulling all the strings in the middle of the park alongside Shahdan – thus it was no surprise he began the move that led to the second goal a minute into first-half injury time. The 26-year-old released Kim Shin-wook, who in turn put Hafiz Nor through to slip the ball beyond the onrushing Fashah.
The Sailors kept up the same white-hot intensity after the break, with “Wookie” picking up his second assist of the match as he teed up Gabriel for a trademark daisy-cutter in the 53rd minute. The former South Korean international got on the scoresheet himself just five minutes later, hooking the rebound in off the bar after his initial header off Maxime’s cross was kept out at point-blank range by Fashah for his 17th goal of the season.
The scoreboard read 4-0 and there was more to come from the Sailors as Luka rang the changes to freshen things up.
Just minutes after coming on, Faris Ramli made his mark, earning a penalty after he was sent sprawling by Fashah while challenging for a header. Diego slammed home the resulting spot-kick on 69 minutes to make it 5-0 on the night.
Faris then recovered well from the collision to whip in an inch-perfect cross for Song to convert the Sailors’ sixth goal five minutes later, before the convincing win was rounded off by Man-of-the-Match Diego – who netted his second of the night from the edge of the area.
Bill Mamadou – another substitute – also did his part with a superb intervention to deny Khairul Nizam from going clean through, helping Hassan to keep his seventh clean sheet of the season.
Despite a 7-0 win over the SPL’s third-placed side and a second straight victory in charge, Luka was adamant that there should be no letting up from the title-chasing Sailors.
“I always look at things from a negative standpoint first – the only thing I’m focusing on is how we can improve further. We’re now starting to create a style of play that people can recognise and we’re going to keep building on that till the end of the season.
“For me, the number one thing is the intensity of play – and that requires good fitness levels. We’ll keep working on that while being careful with the players’ conditions so that we can last the distance.”
With five games to go in the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL), the Lion City Sailors Women find themselves in pole position to secure the league title in their debut season.
The Sailors currently sit atop the WPL standings on 19 points, five clear of their nearest rivals, Tanjong Pagar United, who have played a game more. Next up for the Sailors women is a clash against Balestier Khalsa on Saturday (20 August) at the Yishun Stadium.
The Sailors – who have won all of their games so far, bar one – are now widely expected to become WPL champions this season.
But the women are not taking anything for granted.
Indeed, midfielder Madison Telmer insists that the Sailors will continue to head into each of their remaining five games with the same sort of must-win mentality that they displayed in the first half of the season.
“Complacency is always a worry when a team is doing very well,” Madison mused. “To avoid this, we focus on winning each game at hand individually, rather than focusing on the full picture. As a team, we go into every match expecting it to be a challenge.
“In addition, I think that there is a lot more pressure on us as a team in the second round of the WPL, especially because many teams have improved over the course of the season. However, there is a mutual trust in our team that every player is giving their 100% in training and games. We all believe that our coaches will lead us to victory, which helps deal with the pressure.”
Despite the approach, Madison admits that everyone in the team is excited at being within touching distance of becoming WPL champions.
“It feels amazing to be in such a strong position to win the title, especially since we’re closing in towards the end of the season,” said Madison. “Winning the WPL title has been our goal from the very start and we have worked very hard in training to be where we are at now.”
The Sailors strengthened during the recent transfer window with the addition of German winger Paula Druschke, who made her debut for the club in their 4-0 win over Albirex Niigata (S) last weekend.
Madison is confident that her new teammate will be a success at the Sailors, saying: “I thought Paula did very well on her debut, I was impressed by her work rate on the pitch, especially in winning possession. I think she brings a new aspect to our game as a left-footed winger so I’m definitely excited to see what more she can bring to the team in future matches.”
The last time they met Balestier, the Sailors ran out 4-0 winners – the scoreline, however, did not accurately reflect how tight the game was, with Tigers’ defensive low-block frustrating the Sailors for large parts of the game.
And Madison fully expects Balestier, who are currently second from bottom in the WPL, to employ similar tactics this weekend.
“I think it’s likely that they will sit deep and defend again for our upcoming match because many of the teams in the league have learnt that the compact block is the best strategy for playing against us,” Madison mused. “It is definitely frustrating to play against a team that focuses only on defending, but it’s our job now to strategise and figure out how to overcome this.”
The Lion City Sailors host Tanjong Pagar United at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (20 August) evening, looking to make it two wins out of two under interim Head Coach Luka Lalić.
With the Sailors holding a three-point lead over closest challengers Albirex Niigata (S) at the top of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) table – and a five-goal advantage in the goal difference count – Amirul Adli wants his side to keep their eyes on the prize in the final eight games of the season.
“We know what’s at stake right now at this crucial juncture. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing really – ultimately we have to focus on ourselves and instead of what the other teams or Albirex do,” said the Sailors’ vice-captain.
“That’s the only way to help us sharpen our qualities and get to the level required to last the distance. As a team, we’re well aware of the end goal – to retain the league title and earn the right to represent Singapore in the ACL (Asian Football Confederation Champions League) again.”
The Sailors got off to a sensational start under Luka as they sailed to a record-breaking 10-1 win over Young Lions last weekend, but the champions are no longer basking in the euphoria of the result and are out to replicate the same level of desire and intensity in the matches ahead.
“That result just shows that apart from the quality in our squad that has been often mentioned, our players are all hungry and working hard in our own way for the benefit of the team. No one is satisfied with where we’re right now, we’re all pushing hard to become better each day.
“Once we step onto the pitch, we go in with a hungry mindset to show our abilities and play a good game of football for our fans to enjoy,” said the 26-year-old, who wore the armband in the Young Lions fixture and the 4-0 win over Balestier Khalsa a fortnight ago.
With a full week’s worth of training under his belt, Luka – also the Technical Director of the Sailors’ Academy – is starting to implement his training philosophy. Adli noted the challenges of adapting to a different coaching style with just a quarter of the season to go, but the defender asserts that the team is embracing the challenge.
“Luka’s a very direct and straightforward coach – he’ll say exactly what he wants from us players so it’s not difficult to understand what he wants from the team. Obviously, it’s a new style of play under him and the intensity is high.
“He expects a lot of us but that’s also because he thinks highly of us. It’s been a short period of time, but we’re starting to understand what he wants and it’s getting easier for us each day,” added the Singapore international.
“Everyone has been very positive in training and working hard to get up to where he envisioned us to be.”
The Lion City Sailors today officially launched the PUMA Youth Champions League (YCL), a football competition aimed at raising youth football standards in Singapore by providing a platform for the best youth teams to consistently test themselves against each other in a professional environment.
The tournament is backed by leading global sports brand, PUMA, that has signed a two-year title sponsorship deal with the Sailors worth S$280,000.
The PUMA Youth Champions League
The inaugural tournament will run from September 2022 through to May 2023 and will feature the nation’s top teams across six age-group categories from Under-10 through to Under-16. With six teams featuring in each age-group category, the YCL will see a total of 360 games over the year that is split into two seasons – September to December and February to May – with a champion of each age-group category crowned at the end of every season.
The tournament is an affirmation of the Sailors’ commitment to youth development that is aligned with the club’s vision of professionalism, excellence and fuelling dreams of the next generation in its Academy that aims to be an elite youth hub.
“Creating a youth-centric competition such as the Youth Champions League offers the opportunity for the best-of-the-best youth teams to compete through a developmental football setting. Together with the Lion City Sailors, we have similar sentiments of being inspired to harness that fearless belief of youth, providing unbridled excitement, and the right spirit for the game through experiencing and participating in the matches through this partnership,” said Sanjay Roy, PUMA General Manager for Southeast Asia.
“PUMA is committed to nurturing and providing youth development in sports and we are proud to be a title sponsor for the YCL.”
A game changer for youth football in Singapore
The PUMA title sponsorship empowers tournament organisers, the Sailors, to fill a gap in the local youth development scene by implementing ideal competition regulations for each age-group – including group size (7-a-side up to 11-a-side), pitch size and game duration – in accordance with best practices adopted by the broader football world.
“Through our partnership, we provided the Sailors insight into the structure of the Feyenoord Academy and the Dutch youth football system. They combined this information with other best practices from top academies in Europe to create their own privately-run league. We are convinced that this new league structure, which is quite similar to the Dutch model, will contribute to the development of youth players in Singapore and at Lion City Sailors specifically,” said Feyenoord Rotterdam’s Head of Academy, Rini Coolen.
Earlier this year in February, the Sailors signed a three-year partnership – focused on youth development and education – with Feyenoord. The partnership has already witnessed the Sailors Academy’s Elite squad travel to the Netherlands for a training camp in June.
“Our partner club Lion City Sailors is deeply committed to the development of youth football in Singapore. We are therefore delighted to see them playing an important role in establishing a new youth football structure in the country, which will support the development of the game,” added Coolen.
John Morris, the Sailors’ Head, Commercial, is the Tournament Director of the PUMA YCL, and he is certain that the YCL will drive further development not just within the club, but across the football fraternity here.
“The club’s new training facility will allow us to more efficiently implement our holistic training programme, but it is equally important that we provide our trainees with age-group appropriate high-level competition regularly so they have the best possible conditions to develop their game,” he said.
“Such tournaments are not available in Singapore, and we’re delighted that with support from our partners and sponsors we’re able to create the YCL that will bring together Singapore’s best youth footballers and in regular high-level competition, to test themselves.”
The PUMA YCL will have a consistent media presence, with the tournament owning its own social media assets that will be populated with content across the year. This will include match highlights of all 360 matches packaged weekly according to age category, team features and even player interviews.
“We’re looking to take the implementation of best practices beyond the pitch as well, with a media plan that will spotlight the development of players who will go on to represent the country in the future. We’re delighted that we’ve received fantastic support from the local football community for the YCL and all it stands for,” added Morris.
A youth football fraternity abuzz with optimism
“Having a high-level competition where the best youth teams can face off against each other is a good opportunity for development. This is also a great platform not only for players to perform, but coaches and referees to test and progress in their craft,” said Razali Saad, Programme Director of Unleash The Roar!’s (UTR!) School Football Academies (SFA).
“If the teams and competition standards remain high, it can have an impact on youth football in the long term and hopefully contribute to the UTR! project,” added the former Singapore Captain.
The Euro Soccer Academy (ESA) is poised to field two teams, in the U11 and U12 categories, when the YCL kicks off in September, and ESA Director Ismail Hussin believes that the tournament will change things for his academy trainees.
“A key aspect of this tournament is that it’s going to be very competitive, and it’ll be a level which will bring the players to the elite standard. Usually, the tournaments which we participate in revolve around the fun factor, but this is different, we have to be really ready. This will help my kids to prepare more than before for real competition,” he said.
“With a big sponsor like PUMA coming in and the world-class facilities that LCS provide, these boys are going to be well taken care of and will get proper guidance. With no tournament fee needed, the entry barrier is lower and we’ll be able to get more good local boys to participate and help them get to the elite level that we aspire them to get to.”
The sentiment is shared by Global Football Academy (GFA) Japan’s Head Coach, Osamu Akao.
“It is important for Singapore’s elite youth football players to gain experience playing against more diverse and higher-level players. A player’s daily life changes by experiencing highly competitive league matches: I believe that developing good habits as a football player from when they are young will only help the player grow in the future,” he said.
“It’s great that Singapore has that passion for youth league competition.”
Feyenoord’s Coolen is optimistic that the PUMA YCL will help growth of the game in Singapore. He said: “Once again, we are proud of the development of our partner club and we respect their commitment to achieve the best possible youth football structure in their own country.”
The Lion City Sailors took a significant step forward in their bid to win the 2022 Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL), sweeping fellow title challengers Albirex Niigata (S) aside 4-0 at the Yishun Stadium on Sunday (14 August) night.
The result meant the Sailors women took advantage of closest rivals Tanjong Pagar United’s slip-up – a 0-0 draw with Balestier Khalsa a day earlier – to go five points clear at the top with a game in hand.
A clinical Nur Izzati Rosni hat-trick and a first WPL goal by Miray Hokotate Altun powered the Sailors past a much-improved White Swans outfit that was bolstered by mid-season arrivals – including former Japan international Kana Kitahara who was part of the team that finished runners-up in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
While Izzati earned the plaudits for her goals, Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan preferred to give credit to an all-round team performance that saw the Sailors women secure their fifth clean sheet in seven matches.
“As compared to the previous two matches where the opponents were very defensive, this was a much more entertaining game with Albirex coming out to attack us. We were tested in both attack and defence,” said the 44-year-old.
“But the girls did what we’ve been training on – it’s not easy to link up at the top when they’re not used to it but that’s the part that we’ve been constantly working on. There’s still passes which are not completed, but we’re getting there slowly,” added Sheau Shyan, who was delighted with the lively display by new German signing Paula Druschke on her WPL debut.
“Paula has settled into the team very quickly; her work rate both in attacking and defending impressed me massively. She adds another dimension to our game as a left-footed inside forward and I look forward to what more she can do in the coming games,” said Sheau Shyan.
Izzati is now the WPL top scorer with eight goals, but like her coach, she pointed to the team performance as the key to Sunday’s victory.
“It’s an amazing feeling (to score a hat-trick) for sure, but it’s really all about the team – without my teammates’ assistance, I can’t finish. On the whole, everyone played their best. We were very disciplined in our positioning and really followed what Coach Sheau Shyan taught us,” said the 23-year-old.
“We were calm, didn’t rush things or follow Albirex’s tempo. We didn’t hurry when they played that long ball and just worked on winning the ball and slowly built up our play from there.
“It seems like we were confident enough to pass the ball around, make those through passes in the attacking half and finish off the chances – which is good because that’s what we’ve been working on in the past few training sessions.”
Izzati struck just 47 seconds into the game to give the Sailors a perfect start, before Miray netted with an emphatic finish in the 39th minute to double the advantage.
Izzati then curled a stupendous dipping shot into the top corner on 57 minutes, before applying the finishing touch to a great team move seven minutes later to cap off a memorable night.
A combination of the woodwork, some desperate defending and a couple of stunning point-blank saves by goalkeeper Beatrice Tan late on meant the Sailors preserved a valuable clean sheet en route to their sixth win in seven matches.
“It was important for not just Beatrice, but also our defence to know that we can defend well against a former Japanese international. This clean sheet will give our girls a lot of confidence for the remaining games,” said Sheau Shyan.
With five games left and a considerable advantage at the top of the table, the Sailors women are now widely viewed as favourites to win the WPL, but Sheau Shyan called for added concentration.
“We want to get the title – no doubt about that. But we have to go match by match and fight to get every three points out there,” she stressed.
“There are still areas of the game that we can improve on and that’ll be our focus – to play even better and reward our fans who come to watch us.”
Three braces, one hat-trick and a 15th different scorer for the season.
A ruthless Lion City Sailors put Young Lions to the sword in interim Head Coach Luka Lalić’s first match in charge on Saturday (13 August) evening, claiming a record-breaking 10-1 win at Jalan Besar Stadium to go four points clear at the top of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) table.
This is the Sailors’ biggest win since their 2020 inception – superseding the 8-0 victory over Geylang International in April 2021 – and they also became just the second side in league history to hit double digits in a match since Geylang did so in 10-2 victory over Young Lions in August 2003.
The emphatic result on his bow as SPL head coach should have given Luka much satisfaction, but the new man at the helm refused to draw any conclusions from this match – preferring instead to focus on the voyage ahead.
“Maybe for some players, they would have enjoyed this. But for me, I don’t really look at this result. This is not a realistic picture of the league and opponents that we’re going to face,” said the 35-year-old.
“Young Lions have had a difficult schedule this week, and these young boys didn’t get much rest at all, and we took advantage of that.
“But there are several things that can be improved and need to be improved. I always look at things from a negative standpoint first and I’m putting my focus on the areas that can be worked on from next week onwards.”
All eyes were on Luka’s first Sailors lineup and he chose to keep faith with most of the same eleven that started the 4-0 win over Balestier Khalsa a week ago. Izwan Mahbud remained in goal, Amirul Adli continued to wear the captain’s armband while Adam Swandi was retained in central midfield.
The solitary change was Naqiuddin Eunos coming in at right back with the 25-year-old making just his second start of the season.
From the get-go, the defending SPL champions played with a high level of intensity, and it was no surprise they opened the scoring after just seven minutes. Izwan’s long punt upfield was knocked on by Kim Shin-wook, with Maxime sprinting onto the ball, before rounding Young Lions goalkeeper Ridhwan Fikri to slot into an empty net.
Scorer turned creator just five minutes later. Maxime laid an exquisite through ball for Gabriel Quak to slot beyond the onrushing Ridhwan and double the Sailors’ advantage.
It was 3-0 by the 15th minute with Shin-wook turning well in the box to score with a low shot after Song Ui-young’s pass bounced off a Young Lions defender and into his path.
Young Lions did pull one back a minute later through Abdul Rasaq, but the Sailors’ three-goal lead was restored in the 33rd minute with Maxime producing an inch-perfect dinked cross for Gabriel to thump in an emphatic volley for his second of the night.
Gabriel would return the favour just a minute later, his pass putting Maxime into acres of space to score from a tight angle and make it 5-1.
Maxime’s night was not done just yet as he carried his irresistible form into the second half. The former PSV Eindhoven winger first teed up Shin-wook for a clinical low finish on 50 minutes, before repeating the trick 11 minutes later for the big no. 9 to complete his third SPL hat-trick and put Luka’s side 7-1 up.
Two goals and four assists exemplified Maxime’s massive influence as he came off to a deserved standing ovation in the 67th minute to be replaced by Hami Syahin.
Shin-wook, Pedro Henrique and Diego Lopes were then subsequently subbed off as well, as Luka went with an all-local Sailors eleven for the latter stages of the game and their replacements wasted little time in making an impact.
Just like the last game, Faris Ramli came off the bench to good effect with two delightful deliveries for Song to fire low past a hapless Ridhwan in both the 74th minute and 81st minute – as the away side went 9-1 up.
The Sailors put the icing on the cake on 85 minutes, with Hami benefitting from an excellent Adam ball over the top for his first goal in Sailors colours and that helped the club create history in the process.
The huge win meant the Sailors improved their goal difference to 44, five better than nearest challengers Albirex Niigata (S) and it was one that gave Man-of-the-Match Gabriel much satisfaction.
“We didn’t allow it (the coaching change) to affect our game. We are all professionals, so we went into the game trying to do our job – and we delivered. Ultimately, it’s a very good team victory.
“Coach Luka’s been with the Sailors’ setup for a few years now, so there should be no problems for him to settle in. We are looking forward to what more we can do together under his charge,” said the 31-year-old.
As for Luka, he is already looking beyond this game and laying down his philosophy further to help the Sailors maintain their title charge.
“The players enjoyed the victory, no doubt. But from Monday onwards, we’re going to turn a new page and make a new start. There’re areas for us to work on to become a better team.”
Following Albirex Niigata’s win over Tanjong Pagar United last weekend, it is now a three-horse race for the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) title, with the Lion City Sailors still leading the charge.
But the Sailors women, who are currently three points ahead of both Albirex and Tanjong Pagar, will see their status as top dog come under serious threat this Sunday evening (14 August), when they face the former in a proverbial six-pointer.
Having signed several new players in the transfer window, Albirex are now a distinctly different proposition to the team that was beaten 4-1 by the Sailors back in June.
As such, Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan expects that, unlike most of the other teams in the league, who are content to sit back and defend, Albirex will look to take the game to the Sailors this weekend.
“Albirex have buffed up their team significantly with several key signings in the transfer window. So, I’d be very disappointed if all they’ll do is try and defend against us,” said Sheau Shyan.
“But after winning their last two matches, I fully expect Albirex to be coming at us with full force.”
The Sailors will be heading into this crucial fixture against Albirex after having spent last weekend in Malaysia, where the Sailors had the opportunity to tour the facilities at Selangor FC and learn about how their women’s team is run.
And Sheau Shyan believes that the trip, while strenuous, served its purpose in inspiring the Sailors to aim high.
“It was a long and tiring bus trip to and fro, but it was very fruitful,” Sheau Shyan mused. “We got to tour their facilities, observe their grassroots day girls’ football clinic, and hear about their plans for the women’s team, which was really inspiring.
“They are well integrated within their club structure, and are a good example for us to follow. They intend to qualify for the AFC women’s club championship in the near future, and that’s what we are working towards too.”
Following the trip to Selangor, Sheau Shyan revealed that some players in the team took a much-needed break, with many of them not having had the chance to do so since their involvement in Singapore’s ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship campaign last month.
Sheau Shyan remained confident that her charges will have enough quality in their ranks to get all three points against their title rivals.
“Some of our players took a short break this week. It’s not ideal for performance, but it’s what we have to cope with as an amateur club,” said Sheau Shyan. “We will make changes this weekend against Albirex and try our best to get the results we want.
“Every point is crucial. We set out to play 100% every match, and it will be no different against Albirex – we want to complete every pass, win every challenge, treasure every moment. That’s the process we are focused on, and hopefully the outcome will be in our favor.”
Luka Lalić’s first test as Lion City Sailors interim Head Coach comes just two days after being appointed and it comes in the form of a Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash against Young Lions on Saturday (13 August) evening.
It is a test that the Technical Director of the Sailors’ Academy embraced once the club came calling.
“I will do whatever the club requires of me, and I’ll always try to deliver something. I can only say I’ll give my best and I’ll make sure the players give their best,” he said.
“My assessment from the past couple of weeks and months is that there are things that can be improved. I’ll try to work on those things as quickly as possible so that we can see results on the field.
“Of course, I have ambitions of taking a head coach role and maybe it came earlier than expected, but for me, whatever the club needs always comes first.”
With a short lead time, Luka addressed the Sailors’ first-team players on Thursday afternoon and took training for the first time on Friday morning – and his focus was clear: to keep the team driving towards retaining the SPL title the club won for the first time last year.
“We’ve got a game coming so quickly, so there was not much I could say – all I did was to introduce myself and share some direct messages about respect, prejudice and ego. I will need to know them better and the same goes the other way round, so that was a good starting point.
“At the end of the day, I think everyone is clear that we’re all working towards achieving the goals of the club,” said the 35-year-old.
While Luka has been focused on youth football for the past few years from his time with Feyenoord Rotterdam to joining the Sailors Academy in June 2020, he is well familiar with the professional football scene in Singapore. He was a fitness coach with Balestier Khalsa’s first team between 2011 to 2013 and then served as assistant coach at Woodlands Wellington in 2014.
Stepping up from guiding youth development at the Sailors’ Academy to be the man spearheading the first team’s title charge, Luka acknowledged the pressure that comes with his new role.
“That’s the beauty of professional sports right? Working in a football club that has to win titles, there is a certain pressure and also challenges that come with it. But for me, it’s a privilege to have this pressure and be in this situation where I will be tested,” he said.
With the team going into the business end of the SPL season, these tests will come thick and fast. Luka is mindful of not rocking the boat too much and will instead focus on evolution – and will enlist the support of senior players to help navigate the waters ahead.
“What kind of changes I’ll make will depend on the reactions of the players. There’ll be some changes to training methodology, to the way we communicate and analyse things. But in terms of off-field issues and scheduling, there won’t be many differences,” said Luka.
“I like to have players in the decision-making process and make them responsible for it. Of course, senior players will play a big role in this setup – not only by their leadership and seniority, but also their character that will set a good example for the younger players.”
Sailors captain Hariss called for his Sailors to close ranks and keep their eyes trained on the target.
“We are truly grateful for Coach Kim Do-hoon’s mentorship and guidance that led us to our first-ever SPL title and good results in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL),” said Hariss.
“Now we’re going to give our fullest support to Coach Luka and we have full confidence in him to lead us while the club is looking for a permanent replacement.
“It’s important that as a club, we rally together and fight for each other. Nothing’s going to affect our focus – our heads are firmly on helping the club retain our SPL title and earn the right to compete in the ACL next season,” he stressed.
The Sailors have all hands on deck with various people coming together to ensure that the team can continue on the charge towards the SPL title, even if it means adapting – or putting in more work.
“I’m at the Training Centre working every day from early morning to late night, so in terms of time, nothing’s going to change for me. Obviously now there’s a much bigger focus that I have to put into the first team, but I have good people in the Academy who can take over part of my responsibilities there and I will use that time to focus on first-team duties,” said Luka.
He knows he will be judged on results but Luka remains keen to lay down his football philosophy as much as possible.
“I know for a team like us, it’s not enough just to win games, we’ll need to win games by playing effective and attacking football. The ultimate goal is clear – we want to be champions of the league again.
“And however long I’m going to be in charge, I will give my all for this club.”
