Cklamovski's secret 'heritage' weapons primed to strike against Vietnam

New Straits Times

a day ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya will be looking to break their 11-year winless streak against Vietnam when they clash in a crunch Asian Cup Group F qualifier at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (9pm).
Malaysia have lost seven and drawn one in their last eight meetings with the Golden Star Warriors since their last victory in the 2014 AFF Cup, now rebranded as the Asean Cup.
But head coach Peter Cklamovski is banking on his new batch of heritage players — many of whom hail from South America and Europe — to tilt the balance in favour of the hosts.
Among the fresh faces expected to feature are Argentines Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado and Facundo Garces, Brazilian Joao Figueiredo, and Jon Irazabal.
All have trained behind closed doors, with both training sessions and the recent friendly against Cape Verde kept under wraps.
Also in the squad are Hector Hevel and Gabriel Palmero, who joined up with the national team in March following Cklamovski's appointment.
"We have the mentality to win every game we play," said Cklamovski at Monday's pre-match press conference.
"There's a little bit of detail around the fact that Malaysia haven't beaten Vietnam in over 10 years — but instead of fearing that, we see it as a challenge. We want to create history, and that's the opportunity in front of us.
"I'm very happy with the squad and excited to deliver a good performance. The new boys have shown pride in every training session, and we're building a family atmosphere in this team. We're focused and ready."
Cklamovski brushed off suggestions that secrecy surrounding his squad had created distraction.
"If anything, the noise is for you guys (in the media). Internally, we're focused. We work on being a strong team, and that's what we do every day."
Vietnam coach Kim Sang Sik, meanwhile, admitted that his side have little information on Malaysia's new-look squad but is urging his team to concentrate on themselves.
"This could be the most important and difficult match in our path to the Asian Cup," said Sang Sik.
"If Vietnam play as a unit and execute our attacking tactics, we can get the points. Away games are never easy, but our preparation has been good.
"Whether we know a lot about the new players or not, the result depends on how we perform. There's pressure, but I choose to think positively. We will give our all."