Goal.com Guide To The 2008 ASEAN Cup 14 December 2008 John Duerden Asia Editor South East Asia gets together for its biennial tournament at the end of this week. Eight teams are all set to do battle in Indonesia's capital Jakarta and the Thai tourist resort of Phuket. Despite the fact that the participating octet always seem to be meeting on some far-flung pitch in and around the region, the ASEAN competition - now known as the AFF Suzuki Cup, formerly called the Tiger Cup - is the best in Asia. Even with such familiarity, it surpasses the Gulf Cup and the East Asian editions. Teams from east and west have other theatres of conflict such as Asian Cups and final stages of World Cup qualification, South Asia's tournament lacks a little depth leaving the AFF Cup an exciting, important and fairly open competition. There have been problems off the pitch already. Political upheavals in Thailand forced organizers to move Group B matches away from Bangkok down to the tourist resort of Phuket. Now it is time to focus on the football though in this competition, controversy is never far away. Group A Indonesia It is less than 18 months since the Asian Cup. Then Indonesia impressed as a team full of spirit and energy and the fans wowed visitors by providing the same on the mighty terraces of the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. Against the likes of Saudi Arabia and South Korea, it was all about plucky underdogs punching above their weight. Now the pressure is on as the co-hosts are expected to reach the final. Coach Benny Dollo has been told as much and there are signs that he is feeling the strain – complaining about the players' lack of fitness a week ahead of a major tournament is not always wise, especially after you have been in charge for a year. Last time: Finished third in their group, level on points with the top two but with an inferior goal difference. Singapore The lions are going for a three-peat. Over the years, Singapore have developed into South-East Asia's most consistent performers though the city-state's policy of naturalizing foreign players doesn't always sit well with their rivals. There is a feeling that if you want to lift this trophy then somewhere along the line, you have to tame the lions. Hard-working, solid at the back and with an aerial threat in attack under the guise of Alexsander Duric in great form, Singapore have a good chance. Last time: Won it and did the same the time before too. The team that the co-hosts will fear the most. Myanmar The Burmese don't have the best of records in this competition and have only made it past the group stage once. That was back in 2004 when they reached the semi-final and what a clash it was. They were drawing 5-5 on aggregate with Singapore after 90 minutes of the second leg but lost 8-5 after extra-time thanks to a complete loss of discipline. Marcus Falopa’s men won the recent T&T Cup against the likes of Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam but playing in Yangon and playing in Jakarta are different things though if Seo Myat Min can continue his good form, there is always a chance. Last time: Were a little unlucky. Drew all three matches to be squeezed out by Malaysia. If only they hadn’t conceded that 94th minute equalizer against Thailand. Cambodia The rank outsiders in the group and the boys from Phnom Penh would be ecstatic to reach the last four. An opener against defending champions Singapore is not the best of starts – although if Cambodia can avoid defeat in Jakarta then who knows? Defeated Laos though finished second in qualification. Any points on the board will be most welcome. Last time: Failed to qualify. Group B Thailand Thai eyes will be on how Peter Reid handles his first real test as coach. Winning the competition will buy him time, kudos and a good deal of good will as he aims to start rebuilding the team that not so long ago was the top dog in the region. That may not quite be the case these days but the Thais are still seen as one of the teams to beat and playing in their own backyard, fans will be hoping for a first title since 2002. Reid has professed to be impressed with the level of talent at his disposal, if he can get the team scoring goals, then he could have a future in Bangkok. Last time: Lost a tempestuous final to Singapore. Malaysia Every year that passes means that Malaysia's heyday retreats further into the past. Gone are the days when the team prevailed over regional rivals – or are they? The disaster that befall the nation and its football scene at the 2007 Asian Cup is still fresh in the memory and the first task of the team over the next week or so, is to restore some pride. Performances at the recent Challenge Cup were mixed and failure to reach the semi-finals will more than likely cost coach B. Sathianathan his job. Last time: Few Malaysian fans will forget a semi-final penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Singapore. Vietnam There hasn't been much to shout about for fans in the football-mad nation of Vietnam since the team reached the quarter-finals of the 2007 Asian Cup. Recently, coach Henrique Calisto bemoaned the amount of pressure on his team but after an early exit from qualification for the 2010 World Cup and a recent bad run of results, it is not hard to see why football bosses and fans are not too thrilled. Vietnam haven't won this year and do not as a rule travel well. Much rests on the opening game with the co-hosts. Last time: Lost to the Thais in the semis. Laos It’s time to erase memories of the last tournament. 2007 saw the team thrashed 11-0 by Singapore and 9-0 by Vietnam One of the two qualifiers for the competition, the visitors from Vientiane are rank outsiders. In South-east Asia, Laos are a nation known for developing young talent and then not doing an awful lot with it. Any points on the board would be cause for celebration. It won't be easy especially as the coach is using this tournament to prepare for next year's SEA Games in Laos – though they did manage to surprise Philippines with a 3-2 win in qualification. Last time: Don’t ask – played 3, lost 3, scored one, conceded 23 John Duerden Asia Editor
Singapore beat Cambodia 5 - 0. Indonesia beat Myanmar 3 - 0. Wow. Malaysia beat Laos 3 - 0. Thailand beat Vietnam 2 - 0. Singapore beat Myanmar 3 - 1. Indonesia beat Cambodia 4 - 0. Wow. Singapore and Indonesia proceed into knockout stage. Myanmar and Cambodia are eliminated. Next matches: Thailand vs Laos. Malaysia vs Vietnam. Myanmar vs Laos. Indonesia vs Singapore. Indonesia 100% Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii....sa.
Congrats to Singapore for the great results. HOWEVER,........ Player Name Daniel Mark Bennett ( England ) Shi Jiayi ( China ) Mustafic Fahrudin ( Serbia ) Agur Casmir ( Nigeria ) John Wilkinson (England ) Precious Emuejeraye (Nigeria) ** Advise to Singapore Football Association - Find more Foreign Talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Jole Cole, Steven Gerrard, or Lucas Podolski to represent Singapore. Sure at that time, Singapore may win the World Cup.......
The rules don't allow me to provide details but this is the gist of it: A few days before the match, I was asked to help analyse the other team's game. To do this, we use a video-based performance analysis system which is very very reliable. (Among those using this system are Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. And it's not restricted to football. Other users include the Boston Celtics, the Houston Comets and the Los Angeles Lakers. In badminton, Malaysia and the UK are using it.) Rather than look at standard attack and defence patterns, the coach wanted to chart certain specific strategies (which were based on the Singapore team's strengths and weaknesses). In fact, that was very clever of him. The problem was that we had less than 12 hours to do it. Worse, the team didn't have a video collection - we had to hunt for it. As a favour, we sat through the night to complete the analysis. In the morning, I showed it to the team and the coach told them what it meant. For instance, it was rather easy to predict what the main players in the rival side would do in a recurring situation. Group strategies were also evidently transparent (although not always predictable). I still remember the looks of surprise on the players' faces. I was surprised too when they said they didn't know that such tools were in use across the sporting world. Of course, technology and heuristics are no substitute for skill and teamwork. But the analysis helped a great deal... or, at least, that's what the coach told me moments after Singapore won the match I also have a special team T-shirt hanging in my wardrobe. That's a token of appreciation for lending an 'old' hand
Patrick Viera born in Senegal, represented France. John Barnes (Jamaica) represented England Owen Hargreaves (Canada) represented England Alfredo di Stefano (Argentina) represented Spain Edgar Davids (Surinam) represented Holland Christian Karembeu (New Caledonia) represented France Mehmet Aurelio (Brazil) represented Turkey Singapore is not the only country doing it. Football is universal. Maybe what Malaysia should do is to get their own house (FAM) in order first i.e. paying out players' salaries on time before we comment on others.
Amirulhadi Zainal Hey guys, Watch this guy. He is my friend and we are all very proud of him representing Malaysia.
If I'm not mistakened, Bennett was born in Singapore but got his education, including his university degree, from England. Yes, the FTs have helped Singapore grow and improve in many sectors, both economic and non-economic, since long ago. During the early days, they were largely Chinese, Indians and those from the region. But more recently Singapore was able to attract FTs from non-traditional countries including the West, apart from our interaction with the British who rule some parts of Southeast Asia during the colonial times, and it has made Singapore a better place to live in. It will be fantastic if the world's greatest footballers can be enticed to play for Singapore. But of course it is just a dream!
Bravo to Oldhand! Another FT who volunteered his services that contributed to Singapore's successs, though he knew little about, or rather he wasn't good at soccer at that time. I just hope the coaches from the SBA will take note of Oldhand's talent to help some of our shuttlers defeat their opponents. And Oldhand should be better in badminton than in soccer.
Thank you... but I need to clarify this. I shouldn't be doing the analysis for them. My brief is only to train them how to do it. The users are expected to do it themselves. (The football thingy was just a favour!) By the way, the SBA (and almost every other national sports association) is in line for a demo early next year
