Sports talk: The Sundram conundrum

By Ignatius Koh, Sports Editor

With his players’ heads slumped in disappointment after their ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup group stage match against Thailand, Singapore coach V. Sundramoorthy could be forgiven for wondering where it all went wrong for his team.

The Lions, who had defended resolutely all night long on 22 Nov, conceded an 89th minute winner to the reigning champions to lose 1-0, putting their progression to the semi-finals in danger. Coach Sundram’s defensive policy had failed once again.

This is the latest setback for “the Dazzler”, who was named caretaker coach in May.

Under Sundram, Singapore are currently 171 in the Fifa rankings, behind perennial regional whipping boys Cambodia.

The 167th ranked Angkor Warriors triumphed over the Lions 2-1 back in July, and narrowly lost to Singapore 1-0 on 13 Nov. This came despite Cambodia playing against the Singapore Under-22 team the day before.

But local football’s problems run deeper than the national team’s current form.

At club level, local sides underperformed in the S.League last season — Japanese side Albirex Niigata (S) completed an unprecedented sweep of all four domestic trophies, dethroning previous league champions Brunei DPMM in the process. For the second consecutive season, a foreign team had clinched the S.League title.

The lack of quality in the local clubs had been exposed once again — top scorer Rafael Ramazotti of DPMM topped the scoring chart with 20 goals, while top local-born scorer Fareez Farhan of the Garena Young Lions finished 10th behind nine foreign players with only eight goals.

Sundram’s national team predecessor Bernd Stange had attempted to instil short-passing, possession-based football into the team, but the German failed to produce the desired results. The players often reverted to a long-ball approach once opponents kept them on the back foot in games.

While a large number of fans called for a local coach to lead the Lions after Stange’s departure, results have not gone Sundram’s way since his appointment.

The former national striker is known for his defensively sound teams — most notably the Malaysia Super League (MSL) title-winning LionsXII team in 2013.

But despite recalls for defensive stalwart Daniel Bennett and midfield enforcer Mustafic Fahrudin, the Lions have conceded 13 goals in Sundram’s first nine games (at press time).

A paltry four goals scored in those games is also a poor return for a team that once boasted prolific forwards such as Noh Alam Shah, Indra Sahdan, and Aleksandar Duric.

Now, aside from Khairul Amri, Sundram has no out-and-out striking options from the bench.

Currently, he can only call upon forwards Shafiq Ghani and Sahil Suhaimi to double up as strikers.

With younger players like Gabriel Quak, 25, and Faris Ramli, 24, yet to fulfil their promise, it could be a while before Sundram’s team takes shape.

Quak’s two goals in 20 appearances and Faris’ four goals in 28 appearances have not justified their tags as future stars after their international debuts three years ago.

The dearth of rising talent has also kept Sundram’s hands tied. Only 19-year-old Irfan Fandi, son of Singapore legend Fandi Ahmad, has made a breakthrough to the national team in recent times.

While the Lions’ current predicament looks bleak, two players who could play pivotal roles in a reversal of fortune are vice-captain Hariss Harun and recently crowned S.League Young Player of the Year M. Anumanthan.

Through his leadership and bite in midfield, Johor Darul Takzim midfielder Hariss helped his team go through the recently concluded MSL season unbeaten, and has led the Lions in place of dropped captain Shahril Ishak.

At home, the 22-year-old Anu has been a tenacious force for Hougang United, leading 2015 cellar dwellers to sixth place last season.

Sundram’s penchant for playing a conservative team would make Hariss, 26, and Anu important cogs in the midfield. And with both still young, Sundram could depend on this blossoming partnership in the years to come.

But it remains to be seen if the tactician’s stint will be extended. The Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) decision to hand Sundram only a one-year contract could be perceived as a lack of faith, and an early exit from the Suzuki Cup will not help his cause.

Sundram, along with Fandi, had been a popular choice for the national post among Singapore’s football fraternity, but if results do not pick up, the FAS may soon have to look beyond our shores to revive the Lions.