FAVOURITES
Johor Darul Takzim
It would be wrong not to have the defending champions as the one of the favourites for the MSL title. Coming off their most successful season since TMJ took over, JDT didn’t rest on their laurels in the off season, and made some big signings to compliment the talent they already had. In came in Junior Eldstal, S. Chantaru (Sarawak), Farizal Marlias, S. Kunalan (Selangor), Amer Saidin, and Fandi Othman (Harimau Muda A). With the Gary Steven Robbart saga still ongoing, they will no doubt be stronger when he joins them in April. With Bojan Hodak opting to retain all 4 foreigners, and the new rule allowing all to play, it will be interesting to see how Bojan rotates his team throughout the season. The other teams in the MSL can take comfort from the fact that JDT will have to play in either the AFC Champions League, or AFC Cup, meaning that there will be more games for them to play. With a lot of splashing out been done, it’s only natural that expectation comes with it, and it will be interesting to see JDT fighting to retain the MSL, as well as compete for the other cups.
Selangor
It hasn’t been the best few months for Selangor. The fans are worried, and rightly so. In a turbulent off season, Selangor fans saw the 3 way battle in the board room over who was in control, failure to pay the players their salaries, and also saw key players leave, and potential signings not go through. After such a promising season last year under Mehmet Durakovic, Selangor were expected to build on that and put together a team fully capable of winning the MSL. Only until the middle of December, was there confirmation given to Durakovic that he would still be in charge. Things were so bad at Selangor, that last season’s top striker, Paulo Rangel, decided enough was enough, and packed up and left to Terengganu. This was despite him having agreed an extension with Selangor, who failed to pay him the agreed signing on fee. If that wasn’t enough to anger the fans, there were strong rumors that Junior Eldstal had decided to join, and there was even a homecoming for FA Cup and Malaysia Cup winning defender, Razman Roslan. However, both moves failed to materialize, and Junior ended up joining JDT, and Razman elected to stay with Pahang. So, with all this, what business have Selangor done? For the local players, Raimi Mohd Nor (on loan with Felda last season), S. Subramaniam, Norazlan Razali (JDT), Azrif Nasrulhaq, Zaiful Abdul Hakim, Saiful Ridzuan Selamat (Harimau Muda A), and K. Thanaraj (Felda). For the foreigners, Selangor have decided to retain the exciting Indonesian winger Andik Vermansyah, and have also added in Australian center half Robbie Cornthwaite, Brazilian striker Guilhereme De Paula, and ex T-Team playmaker Leandro Dos Santos. Time will tell if this squad will be up there challenging again this season, but one thing is for sure, the pressure is on for the Red Giants.
Pahang
The FA Cup and Malaysia Cup champions have managed to defy the odds in the last couple of years, and have surprised many. Always known as one of the major players in Malaysian football history, Pahang’s recent haul of silverware has got them back to the level that everyone knows, and in Zainal Abidin Hassan, they have a coach that’s able to get the best out of them. Pahang were one of the teams caught up in the Gary Steven Robbat case, and it looks like they won’t be able to get their man. With Pahang managing to keep the vast majority of their squad together, there wasn’t much activity in the transfer market. D. Saarvindran (Harimau Muda A), Nor Azam Abdul Azih (Harimau Muda B), and Abdul Aziz Ismail (Kelantan) have come in to strengthen the side, with the foreigners remaining the same. If the East Coast side can be more consistent, then they have a real chance of pushing for the title.
DARK HORSES
Terengganu
These guys are definitely my pick to surprise a few this season, especially when you have the finances to sign someone of Paolo Rangel’s quality. Terengganu have always been one of those teams which are a bogey team to most. Especially at home, they’re a very tough team to play against. Abdul Rahman Ibrahim is a very experienced coach, and despite losing a talent like Mario Karlovic, they should have enough talent to do well. The local players coming in for Terengganu this season are Abdullah Suleiman (Harimau Muda B), Helmi Remeli (PKNS), Shahrin Sapien (T-Team). Vincent Bikana has firmly established himself as a reliable defender, and he’s staying on for yet another season. As mentioned at the start, the big signing is Rangel, and he’ll be joined by Argentinian playmaker, Gustavo Lopez, as well as Lebanese striker, Hassan Chaito. Can the Turtles upset a few teams this season, and really stake a claim for the title? If it’s going to happen, this season is surely the time.
PDRM
Making the step up from the Premier League is never easy, but you’ve got to prepare yourself right for it, and that’s exactly what PDRM have done. Head Coach Fauzi Pilus has been busy in the transfer market, and has a lot to prove after PDRM’s league and Malaysia Cup form last year. The big signing on the local player side is surely the capture of Nurul Azwan Roya (JDT). In addition to him, Saiful Amar Sudar (Kedah), Badrulzaman Abdul Halim (Negri Sembilan), Eskandar Ismail, Shahurian Abu Samah (PKNS), Asyidi Dil Ashar Yusof (Putrajaya Spa FC), Isma Alif Mohd Salim (Sabah), Faizal Abu Bakar (Kedah), Lot Abu Hassan (Sarawak), Haziq Fikri Hussein (returns from loan to Kuantan FA), and Shafiq Rosdi (Kedah). Only two foreigners, Mohamadu Sumareh and Ali Ashfaq were retained, with the other two newcomers being Nigerian defender, Onorionde Kughegbe, and Malian striker, Dramane Traore. The big question is whether the newly promoted side can mix and match it with the heavyweights of the Malaysian Super League. If they manage to do so, then we’ll have an exciting season ahead of us.
FELDA UNITED
My views on Felda are exactly the same as PDRM. After performing so well in the Premier League, Felda proved that they will be a force to be reckoned with when they played in the Malaysia Cup. Their match against JDT, in the first leg, was one of the matches of the season for me. Like PDRM, Felda have recognized the importance of beefing up the squad, to compete in the Super League. Irfan Bakti has gone down the route of having a young squad, and it will be interesting to see how the youngsters fare. The signing of Fauzan Dzulkifli (PKNS) can be seen as a coup, and with Naqib Najwan Saufi (T-Team), and Afiq Ahmad Razali (ATM), they will be the seniors of the new additions. Mursyidin Maudoode, Mohd Fauzi, Johar Adli Joharudin, Awangku Mohd Hamirullizam, Akmal Farhan Mohd Noor, Shafiq Azreen Sa’ari all join from Harimau Muda C, with Ferris Danial and Shahrul Mohd Saad joining from Harimau Muda A. Firdaus Faudzi (Sime Darby), and Harmizie Zaharudin (SSTMI) are the other signings. Only Yaroslav Krushelnitskiy has been released, and in his place comes Serbian Bojan Miladinovic. Its always hard when newly promoted sides are in the Super League, but something tells me that Felda and PDRM will be dangerous teams to face.
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