KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s head coach, Kim Pan-gon, is wary of Oman’s threat after learning little about their new coach, Jaroslav Silhavy, who was appointed by the Oman Football Association last month ahead of the World Cup 2026/Asia Cup 2027 qualifiers on Friday.
For Pan-gon, this poses a slight disruption to their preparations, as he and the Malaysian coaching staff had already done thorough homework on Oman during the Asian Games campaign, led by Branko Ivankovic at the time.
Hence, various factors, such as Oman’s tactical and strategic changes under Silhavy’s guidance, may prove to be a nightmare for Harimau Malaya.
Nonetheless, Pan-gon is well-equipped with knowledge about Oman’s squad as they aim to secure three crucial points in the upcoming match at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat.
“Despite facing additional difficulties, we extensively studied Oman’s team until the Asian Cup, feeling confident that we knew every aspect about them.
“However, with the arrival of the new coach (Silhavy), information has been scarce.
“Nonetheless, we’ve made efforts to uncover all we can about the coach’s characteristics and his contributions during his tenure in the Czech Republic.
“Fortunately, we’re familiar with the individual players’ traits. The only missing piece is the formation, but we’ll soon discover it once the match begins,” said Pan-gon in a pre-match press conference in Muscat today.
Simultaneously, Pan-gon urges his players to leverage their psychological advantage as a morale booster when facing Oman, despite their 80th FIFA ranking.
This mental strength will be essential as Malaysia, currently ranked 132nd, aims to show that rankings are merely numbers.
Proving their mettle in Group D with six points after victories over Chinese Taipei and Kyrgyzstan, the Harimau Malaya squad is determined to continue their winning streak and defy the odds against Oman.
“I’m immensely proud of the Malaysian team players. We are the only team not from pot one to top the group stage.
“This achievement serves as extra motivation for us to maintain our position at the top. We hope to receive full support from the fans as we fight together tomorrow,” he added. — March 20, 2024