The Malaysia Super League is back! After what appeared to be a monumental hiatus, all the excitement and drama that we usually get from the country’s top league is already underway with Johor DT defeating Pahang to lift the Charity Shield last weekend. And if you thought last year was brilliant, be prepared to watch things escalate to a whole new level this year. With Johor DT pushing forward in their expansion plans, other teams trying to keep up and match the Southern Tigers, and the fiasco involving television rights for the league; there’s so much more to expect this year. That being said, FourthOfficial.com will be unleashing a series of club previews over the next five days and we’ll take a look at all the teams that will be strutting their stuff in the Super League this year. Next on the list is Selangor FA!
SELANGOR FA
Manager: Amirudin Shari
Head Coach: Mehmet Durakovic
SQUAD LIST
GOALKEEPERS: Syamim Othman, Hamsani Ahmad, Norazlan Razali
DEFENDERS: Syazlan Alias, Azmi Muslim, Shahrom Kalam, Bunyamin Omar, Rizal Fahmi, S. Subramaniam, Robert Cornthwaite, Azrif Nasrulhaq
MIDFIELDERS: Andik Vermansyah, Nazmi Faiz, Raimi Mohd Nor, Gurusamy, S. Veenod, Saiful Ridzuan, Fitri Shazwan, Leandro Dos Santos, Thanaraj
FORWARDS: Thamil Arasu, Hazwan Bakri, Afiq Azmi, Hadi Yahya, Guillherme de Paula
STATS
Malaysia Super League League: 2nd
Malaysia FA Cup: 2nd Round
Malaysia Cup: Quarter Final
AFC Cup: Group Stage
ANALYSIS
The Red Giants, are undoubtedly recognized as the most successful side in Malaysian football history, though recent years have been anything but successful. They’ve struggled to lift silverwares but things have escalated beyond just that over the last 12 months. Their 4-0 defeat to Felda United last year, sparked a protest from fans, who ambushed their training session to demand for an explanation. Weeks after that, news erupted that Selangor players were not being paid on time, which was later confirmed by Paulo Rangel. The Brazilian forward eventually got frustrated and departed, while Mehmet Durakovic’s future was only determined in December.
As far as pre-season is concerned, things haven’t been ideal. But Selangor are a decent side and on paper, they do have players that can cause trouble. Andik Vermansyah was retained from last year and if the Indonesian flanker adds the element of consistency into his game, he could be a threat for them this year. But of course, the biggest problem for them would be replacing Rangel’s goals. Guillherme was drafted in as his replacement and the verdict on him isn’t out yet. But when we spoke to Robert Cornthwaite, who is another new signings, recently, he was upbeat about Guillherme’s ability to be a threat.
Defensively, Shahrom Kalam is rock solid. And besides Robert, they’ve also brought in Subramaniam, who despite barely playing for Johor DT last year, is known for his stellar performances during his stint with Kelantan. But if Guillherme struggles on the offensive, then things could get gloomy. Thamil Arasu, Hazwan Bakri, Hadi Yahya and Afiq Azmi are all decent forward; probably better than most of the local strikers out there. But none of them are predators. If goals are hard to come by this year, Selangor could be in for a roller-coaster ride.
VERDICT: Dark Horses
List of Club Previews:
1. Kelantan FA
2. Sarawak FA
3. PDRM FA
4. ATM FA
5. Perak FA
6. Terengganu FA
7. LionsXII
8. Felda United
9. Sime Darby
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