COACH Bojan Hodak is confident Kuala Lumpur City will advance to the next stage of the AFC Cup despite being held 0-0 by PSM Makassar in the opening Group H match in Cheras on Friday.
Kuala Lumpur dominated the game and had the better chances, only the frame of the goal and the alertness of Makassar goalkeeper Reza Pratama denied the home team full points.
The lack of goals aside, Hodak was pleased with the cleansheet after fielding Azri Ghani in place of regular custodian Kevin Mendoza due to the restrictions on foreign players and opting for a back-three to nullify Makassar’s packed midfield.
“We changed the system a little bit and in the first half we didn’t adjust properly but in the second half we played much better,” said Hodak, who restored Kenny Pallraj and Romel Morales to the side following their recovery from injury.
“Physically I think we dominated for 60 minutes but overall, maybe more chances for us to win, we hit the posts I don’t know how many times. But we were closer to three points.
“In the end, we must respect them (PSM Makassar), they also had chances. Results are still active for both teams because I think everything’s open in the group so it will be interesting for the fans.”
With Singapore’s Tampines Rovers up next on Thursday, Hodak must figure a way for Kuala Lumpur to come up with the goals.
“I am always disappointed if I don’t win but sometimes we need to look at the reality,” he said. “We did everything well and I am happy with the defence today because we didn’t concede a goal and we played how we’re supposed to play.
“But attacking, this is our problem and that is the real reason why we need to sign a new striker in the league. Tampines Rovers is also a good team and I am sure they can play tough.”
Hodak is not afraid to change his team’s style of play to suit the opposition and take advantage of any perceived weaknesses as he attempted to do this time by changing to a back-three and thrusting Morales and Kevin Koubemba forward with Paulo Josue backing them up.
“As their former coach I looked at their line-up, I knew what it would be like but in the end, this is their style,” said Hodak, who coached Makassar in 2020. “They always play aggressive, always try to play short passes and we know this. They have fast players so the best way is to play counter-attacks.”
Hodak’s change of approach was interpreted as a sign of respect by Makassar coach Bernardo Tavares while claiming it was always his intention to give Kuala Lumpur more of the ball.
“Our strategy was to give the ball to the opponent but control the game, decide when to press because we know the characteristics of our players and we know the opponents’ characteristics,” said Tavares. “They changed their tactics to play against us so this is a signal (of respect).”
To read the match report of KL City v PSM Makassar on 24/6/2022 (AFC Cup), please click https://kualalumpurfootball.com/2022/06/25/kuala-lumpur-celebrates-return-to-asia-after-28-years-with-valuable-point-in-afc-cup-opener/