Submitted by: Confaderal | 12th July 2024
Bear with me, this article is different from the other articles we write. It's a bit arthouse madness.
"The Dutch have made it to the semi-finals of the Euros 2024".
By the time you finish reading this article, you would've known if the Dutch have already made it into the final or blundered against a Gareth Southgate England side.
But the point is, another football team that wears it's orange colours proudly has been rather successful this year.
To me, this Euro 2024 tournament has not been super entertaining. Sure, you get to see Lamine Yamal play for the Spanish senior 'A' team at the same age when our wonderkid Farhan Zulkifli made his senior team debut for our club. Did i mention that the latter scored on debut? Ahhh, the memories! (Catch the video below).
Then there's also other young starlets showing their prowess, like Arda GĂźler, Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Nico Williams, Eduardo Camavinga, Bart Verbruggen and so on. My list, my rules.
But, that being said, it's been a rather uneventful and cagey Euros 2024. Only Spain has lived up to their price tag. This leaves my favorite team, the Netherlands, floundering in comparison. The Dutch got to the round of 16 finishing third in their group stage. They did this through a "Best-of-3rd-placed" system akin to the AFC's Asian Champions League best-of-2nd-placed system. Hence, the Dutch have pushed through and are now one win away from the grand final(no thanks to Cody Gakpo too).
Why do I talk about the Netherlands? Because they embody the Orange spirit.
"...they embody the Orange spirit."
Over in Hougang united, the fraternity have been left wanting and needing a win. So rather than holding hands in a circle and sing Kumbaya like waiting for rain, we're going to try a different approach. And so, we call upon the Orange spirits to bless us for this upcoming match against the Young Lions. We're going to call upon Raj and Steven to summon the Orange spirits to bless us for this upcoming match. We're going to have a discussion with the spirits that be!
Hougang United vs Young Lions - SPL 24/25.
INT. ABANDONED ROOM IN BUANGKOK. NIGHT
Raj and Steven comes into a room. In one of their hands is a bushel of lemongrass and parsley. They sit in the middle, light a small fire and with the smoke now swirling around them, Raj tosses the bushel of plants in his hands and proceeds to chant to begin the seance.
Raj and Steven: "Oh Hougang United, we are the pride of the North east...."
"...Oh Hougang united, we are the pride of the Prem League!"
Just then ââ The fire burns too bright all of a sudden and explodes. BOOM! The ceiling is charred and both Raj and Steven lay flat on the ground. They're trying to get up. Their ears are ringing. The fire swirls around to form a vague image of a humanoid face but something is off...
...It's mouth. IT'S MOUTH IS MISSING...
Orange Spirit: "How dare you summon me?!"
Steven and Raj look at each other with shock expressions on their faces. Then, slowly, Raj gestures for Steven to answer. That means Raj can hear IT too? thought Steven.
Steven: "How am I able to hear your voice?"
At this exact moment. The flames burst outwards and almost scalded the two men.
Orange Spirit: "IT DOESN'T MATTER! "
A pause.
Orange Spirit: "Quickly. Why did you call me all the way here?!"
Raj: "We called you here 'O' great one to ask if you can give another team in orange a win this weekend. Hougang United."
Steven: "We're up against the Young Lions this weekend. And we know that you have been aiding the Dutch national team in their journey to the Euros 2024 finals."
Orange Spirit: " You're right." But the spirit's reaction doesn't portray confidence.
Orange Spirit: "Actually....I didn't do much la. I knew that FIFA would have this "best-of-third-placing" and just did enough to push the Dutch team to go through to the round-of-16. I totally didn't bother when they went up against Austria lor!"
This guy is a doofus~Â thought Raj
Steven: "Okay okay. Main point is the Dutch went through and punched above their weight. Can you please guide our Hougang to win?"
Orange Spirit: "Possible. I think I can do it."
The fire then changed and expanded outwards engulfing the room. The swirling of fire was instant and Steven and Raj both thought that it was beautiful, like witnessing an aurora borealis. They both felt an extreme heat shooting through their bodies... and then...just cool, still air. It's quite breezy now, thought Raj. The furniture in the peripheral of the room has vanished. All that is left is a rectangular indentation in the swirling flames, much like a tv set...and the voice of the spirit. The voice is more 'echo-ey' now.
"It's quite breezy now" â Raj
Orange Spirit: "Just keep quiet and listen. Here's my plan to make Hougang United win this weekend."
Orange Spirit: "First of all, the Young lions have bags of energy and youthful speed. And they know this. So they're going to exploit this by doing a lot of pressing and playing on the transitions to make up for their lack of natural creativity. The more their opponents attack in their half, the stronger they get. This style of play is counter to how LCS, Tampines, Balestier or even Geylang play which sets on being methodical during buildup, good against teams who sit back. The Young Lions will rely on their tenacity and team spirit to do the style of play that have brought them success lately.
But unlike Hougang, Young lions have taken wins against Tanjong Pagar and Albirex, which we drew and lost against respectively. This comes down to Young Lions being more agile to be in attack and cover distances across the pitch to deal with a counter attack fast. Young legs!
Both Hougang and Young Lions are similar in terms of how both want to get goals: counter-attack, crosses and balls-over-the-top. This is both their bread-and-butter. What's different between them is: For Hougang, they have more variety on quality of crosses from the flanks, like low-curved crosses and normal crosses. Hougang also has better set piece play. For Young Lions, they have good pressing. And YL also throw men into the box quickly if there's a turnover in possession.
The Young Lions will expect Hougang to be swash buckling in this encounter and hit Hougang on transitions. To win, Hougang has to drop the semangat for a match and be patient for an opening or a mistake against the young lions. Shots from range is also recommended as the YL have a bad reputation against defending against it.
And remember, "Fighting spirit" is no longer an exclusive to Hougang. The Young Lions have repeatedly shown it in their games. "
Steven and Raj nod their heads in unison.
Orange Spirit: "Lastly, There's a few individuals from Young Lions who can make a difference, whether it be good or bad. For one, we know the standout performers will surely be Enomoto and Farhan Zulkifli. Both of them will be looking to to be the focal point forward to stretch the hougang defence away from it's midfield. Farhan will also double up with doing defensive duties. Both of them have risen up in difficult games.
As for the underrated performers, much plaudits have to be given to Amir Syafiz and Ogawa who have been a real engine. Amir in particular have been quietly performing. When I did my data analysis of him back then in 2022, I was impressed by the grounds he covered doing defensive duties and his ability to be the link-up play upfront. This is the same methodology used to determine the effectiveness of Shawal Anuar in Hougang and Abdul Rasaq back then when he was in YL.
As for the overrated players. I think that Kieran Teo, Khairin Nadim and Aqil Yazid are the weak links that Hougang can exploit. Kieran has the stature of a great Singaporean defender but that betrays his physicality though. Plus, he has been making passes out from defence which makes for easy pickings for the opponents. Maybe a ball-playing defender is not his forte.
On Kieran's right side is Aqil Yazid who has a knack for making the wrong decisions and is slow to track back. Somehow he can't keep crosses from coming in. In their recent match against Tampines, Aqil had a horrid time dealing with Faris on his flank. Both Tampines goals involved him. Against Tanjong Pagar, his flank was exploited time and time again. YL's right flank is the key for Hougang to exploit.
Upfront, Khairin Nadim, touted as the next big young talent from Singapore has largely failed to impress. Technically he's good. But decision-making sees that ability go to waste.
If hougang provides good service to their left flank in Stjepan or Gabriel, then they can get some joy in front of goal. The trick is to bypass the YL pressing and harrying and go toe-to-toe with their defence."
Orange spirit: "I will give the hougang players my blessings. Look forward to a favourable scoreline!"
Steven and Raj nod their heads in unison. They both are satisfied. The Orange spirit gives a full smile. A grin from ear to ear.
That's strange!, Raj thought. I don't remember the spirit having a mouth. Steven must have come to the same realisation because Steven grabbed Raj's shoulders. Crystal sweat dot Steven and Raj's face. They both look down and find the fire engulfing them.... but it feels icy cold.
Orange spirit: "Oh what? you don't expect me to give my blessings for free do you?!"
Steven and Raj scramble around the find a way out. Little did they know that they're trapped in the fire capsule. And as the capsule lifts up from the ground, they can see a semblance of their charred bodies laying in a heap on the floor of the room. They knock and scream on the capsule sides.
... But no one can hear them as they rise up helplessly through the ceiling and into the ethereal realm.
R.I.P. to our friends, Steven and Raj, who gave their lives so that Hougang United can win this weekend. #1H1H đ
Young Lions vs Hougang Quick Report:
- Weak right flank which can be attacked.
- Dangermen: Farhan Zulkifli, Enomoto, Ogawa, Amir Syafiz.
- We need to be patient and wait for mistakes or openings. If we force the issue, we would allow YL an open game, which suits their transition playstyle.
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.
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Will you join us in Jalan Besar Stadium?
0%Yes! đ
0%Maybe đ
0%No. I have other commitments... đ˘
Which YL player can hurt us?
0%Our own, Farhan Zulkifli
0%Andrew Aw
0%Enomoto Itsuki
0%Kaisei Ogawa
You can vote for more than one answer.
Which player excites you?
0%Jordan Vestering
0%Nazrul Nazari
0%Gabriel Quak
0%Stjepan Plazonja
You can vote for more than one answer.
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