Submitted by: Vesuvius | 26th Sept 2024
Before we go into the match preview for the upcoming match against DPMM, let's talk about the previous match against Young Lions last weekend.
Just to recap the flow of the game: Kan Kobayashi started proceedings with the first goal of the match through a wall pass in the middle of our defence. Later on, in quick succession, we took the lead with two goals courtesy of Shodai Yokoyama and Dejan Racic. We almost extended our lead with a goal by Nazrul adjudged to be offside as Dejan was in an offside position and deemed to be "interfering with play". Later on, this lifeline for the young lions allowed them to equalise with a far range shot from Fathullah, which honestly should have been dealt with way better. It came from nowhere.
But like a breath of fresh air, We scored another 2 goals from balls over the top from Dejan Racic and Stjepan Plazonja. All is well in the world...until the 2nd half where injuries to Nazrul and Shahdan caused our collapse. Young Lions scored from a penalty and then from a set piece to earn a point from us.
Our boys had a good attacking game but sadly on that day was not managing the game well. And that allowed the Young lions to claw their way back in. Furthermore the goals conceded felt too easy(as also mentioned by Coach Marko).
Ultimately, we have ourselves to blame. We snatched a draw from the jaws of victory. Surely, our forwards must be thinking: "How many goals do we have to score to secure a victory?"
"How many goals do we have to score to secure a victory?"
In the same vein as YL, we would come up against DPMM this week on friday 27th September. And we know that both teams are adept at terrorizing teams with their counter attacks. So we'd do well to repeat the same gameplan again, but this time with a much better defensive resolve. In this short article, let's delve into the dangers of facing DPMM at home.
BRUNEI DPMM VS HOUGANG UTD - SPL 24/25 ROUND 2 â here we go!
1.The GAME CHANGERS
In the same weekend where we drew with Young Lions, we see DPMM smash in two late goals against BG Tampines at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium to grab a victory. This was BG Tampines's first loss of the season. Fittingly, it comes after their (not bad) showing in the ACL two competition. Is this the foreshadowing of the same events when they faltered in the league in 2021?
Anyways, back to DPMM. In their previous inspired victory against BG Tampines, 2 goals were scored by DPMM on a ball over-the-top swift counter attack. The other one being a successful press when the Tampines backline had the ball high up the pitch. The high defensive line set-up by BG Tampines didn't help their cause at all.
BG Tampines fell to the oldest trick in the book: they had the control of the game but fell to quick transitions. If Tampines's stout defence is breached then we can expect that DPMM will cause more trouble for our supposedly leaky defence â And there are a few players who we need to be aware of as they seem to "fly around" on the pitch, especially during counter attacks.
2.miguel Oliveira
It's been a revelation for Brunei DPMM this season with the introduction of this man right here. Miguel Oliveira has a good shot on him, finishing instincts, and very good speed and dribbling. His late winner against Tampines alone is worthy of winning goal of the season. Take a look at the final goal below:
A ball over the top releases Miguel Oliveira again against Shuya Yamashita where the former slaloms his way thrice through the legs of Shuya to create space for him to shoot. And when he does get clear of Shuya, Miguel then places his shot in the top bins away from Syazwan. Truly a top quality goal!
Hence, just like how we do with Stjepan, DPMM will look to release Miguel Oliveira for a quick counter attack. But also, unlike us, DPMM has a habit of not pushing their fullbacks high up the pitch, instead preferring to keep their cover for their keeper, Naumovski who just doesn't sweep the ball (unlike a certain Balestier goalkeeper). We will talk about Naumovski later.
3.Hakeme yazid
Once again, we have to talk about their other forward; Hakeme Yazid who has started the league just like he did last year. What else is there to say. This man's dribbling and shooting is next level.
He, Miguel Oliveira, Julio Cruz, and Gabriel Gama are the only ones forward for DPMM. Call it "traditional" but it works. We guess that that's a testament of the Scottish head coach, Jamie McAllister. It's just to sit back and be swashbuckling on the counter.
We have to keep a close eye on Hakeme Yazid and Miguel Oliveira for this upcoming match.
4.kristijan NAUMOVSKI
Although the previous match against Tampines sees Naumovski serving suspension, this next match against us will see him available to play between the sticks. Naumovski has some of the best reflexes we've seen in the league. He also has the added advantage of height and reach. So he doesn't need to scuttle across goal to cover the other side. But despite him being so good at saving what would otherwise be "top-bins", Naumovski is the kind of traditional goalkeeper who is slow to get off his line to sweep balls over-the-top (that's IF he actually does any sweeping). Last season, Naumovski doesnt even sweep balls, but unfortunately this year, he does try to get to balls he can sweep comfortably.
Besides not being adept at sweeping, Naumovski has a tendency to be clumsy saving with his feet. So a low shot will be a testing shot for this quality goalkeeper. If we keep our shots down, we can make this goal keeper go to work. Below is a stat of the great work Naumovski has been for DPMM between the sticks.
Naumovski shows his prowess with saving with an average of 5 saves per game. I'm personally impressed with his reaction saves!
5.total team effort
Surprisingly the last game saw DPMM not feature Farshad Noor and Azwan Ali, both stalwarts of DPMM's midfield. Will they return for this game? That's a mystery that only DPMM can answer when battling against us in the upcoming match. Should they be available, then we'll have to cut out the passing range that these two can provide in midfield to spring the counter attack.
Once again, our boys will have to show their attacking prowess like they did in the last game and I'll personally be looking forward to seeing Hazzuwan and Gabriel clinch their next goal to help in the goal scoring department. We should especially see to it that we capitalise on scoring after the break (when DPMM usually get's settled back into the game between 45-60mins).
Hougang will have alot of work to do in training sessions to once again iron out their defensive issues. Just as we re-introduce Jordan Vestering back into the starting XI, we now have lost Nazrul and Shahdan through injury. Let's play a good defensive game and aim to get our 3rd clean sheet here! C'mon boys!
Brunei DPMM vs Hougang Quick Report:
- 4-2-1-3 formation preferred (DPMM).
- Dangermen: Miguel Oliveira, Hakeme Yazid, Farshad Noor, Azwan Ali
-Gabriel Gama is reportedly returning. Naumovski should be back from suspension
-Do not concede the first goal
-Hougang needs to beware of DPMM's pace and trickery on the counter.
â Tune in to the "Upcoming" section of our homepage after the matchday to see the latest scores. Or follow our 'hougang_hools' instagram page or 'Hougang United FC Supporters Club' to see snippets or updates on latest scores. All images used are stocks or from the hougang united instagram page unless otherwise stated.
â If you like our content, whether you're a Hougang fan or a local football fan, do consider donating a small sum here(scroll to the bottom). Your contributions will help ease us with our yearly website & wix fees to keep the site running. The site attracts more fans and (hopefully) investors to see the value of our very own local club, Hougang. Thank you, my friends!
Will we handle set pieces better this time?
0%I just don't see it
0%Yes, definitely! We've done it before đȘ
You can vote for more than one answer.
Who do you think will light up this match?
0%Dejan (Racic)
0%Stjepan (Plazonja)
0%Miguel Oliveira
0%Haime Nyaring
You can vote for more than one answer.
Comments