Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sahil Suhaimi (Young Lions)
I had hoped to take in a few more Young Lions games this past season but it was not to be. For some reason there weren't that many games scheduled for Saturdays.
Despite a poor performance in the recent Asian Games I was still looking forward to seeing the Young Lions take on Etoile last weekend in the Singapore Cup even though they put out a weakened team.
One player still caught the eye. Sahil Suhaimi didn't set the world alight with his slalom Lionel Messi style runs. Neither did he manage a three minute hat trick. Nope, what I noticed was his desire to mix it with the physically bigger and stronger Etoile players in the middle of the park.
One incident sticks out. He was pushed aside by an Etoile player in a midfield struggle but instead of just sitting back and accepting it he ran after his opponent and delivered a gentle tap on the ankles to let him know that he would not be cowered.
A big worry among Singapore football circles is that players have it too easy and don't feel the need to impose themselves too much.
It was refreshing also, talking with Etoile assistant coach Jorg Steinbrunner, to hear that Suhaimi's performance in midfield hadn't gone unnoticed.
# posted by Me @ 10:33 AM 
