From winning the keenly fought East Coast derby against Kelantan on 4 February, Terengganu went on to win over Perak 3-2 away last Saturday. From a shaky home performance against Sabah on 3 February, T-Team now tops the Premier League after winning against DRB-Hicom away 2-1 last Friday. Suddenly T-Team, which have been struggling to get good local players in the April transfer window, catch the eye of many.
In between, there were dramatic twists and turns.
Latest Terengganu import, Issey Nakajima-Farran, didn't make much impact in the games against Kelantan and Perak (FA Cup quarter finals first leg). Himself the subject of a U-turn by the Terengganu FA after dropping their other foreign choice at the last minute, Nakajima-Farran is now thought to need more time to blend and gel with his team mates and regain his match fitness.
There was also a scare in the FA Cup match against Perak.
Perak nearly won. An own goal by usually consistent Zubir Azmi, a number of yellow cards and the marching order given to local hotshot Ismail Faruqi almost brought Terengganu down. Perak were only denied full points by Paulo Rangel's last-gasp penalty after he was brought down in the penalty box. Something obviously went wrong for Terengganu in that match as pundits had earlier predicted they could have brought at least a two-goal lead in the return leg away.
The good news is first choice keeper Sharbinee Allawee is in his element.
Although T-Team showed great fighting spirit and continued their giant-killing feat against table topping teams, their performance against Sabah - without Hassan Basri and Nor Hakim Hassan - was among the worst at home this season.
Like many new import players, T-Team's Josip Milardovic also takes time to really make the mark with his new team in competitive matches. Even newly-recruited former Terengganu player, Izzaq Faris Ramlan, needs time to adjust to the team and coach. But the good sign is, top striker Farhod Tadjiyev and midfielder Sadriddin Abdullaev are progressing well with time.
The biggest coup in the week for Terengganu must have been the return of prodigal son Norshahrul Idlan Talaha after his last stint with one of the Terengganu junior teams about 17 years ago. After previous unsuccessful attempts in luring him back, his return shows that Terengganu are more serious this time round. "It seems that this season Terengganu are no longer talking vaguely about bringing at least one Cup back," says a die-hard fan. He adds that the onus is now on the players themselves - locals and foreign - and their coaches to once and for all, make good their long-standing promises, often in different variants.
As the challenges and competitions are far from over, regardless of which teams they have to face, Terengganu should from now on leverage on their present form; think, feel, say and do things like true champions - overcoming each and every obstacle along the way, until the moment they can actually lift the Cups in glory.
Likewise T-Team too have to capitalize on every opportunity and accumulate points for an early promotion and the chances to play in the Malaysia Cup this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment