KUALA LUMPUR – With anticipation building around the announcement of the new U-23 national head coach, the football community is buzzing with speculation and recommendations.
Prominent figures from the football fraternity have voiced their suggestions on the candidates suited to take on the hot seat as the next U-23 national team’s head coach, replacing E. Elavarasan.
Speaking to Scoop, former Penang FC goalkeeper Datuk Richard Scully suggested Harimau Malaya’s assistant coach, Pau Martí Vicente, be the new head coach, as he believes that the job should be taken by someone who hails from the senior team.
“We need to ensure the youth team is aligned with the senior squad’s DNA, and I personally believe that Pau Marti is the perfect fit for the role.
“Having someone from the senior team will elevate the chemistry within the team, and the team will be able to progress together.
“I’m not also depriving our local coaches of their potential; it’s just that they need to learn the trait better.
“It will be great if Harimau Muda can have two local assistant coaches to assist Pau Marti, and I suggest Nidzam Jamil (assistant Selangor head coach) or anyone from the Akademi Mokhtar Dahari to take on the role,” Richard said.
Richard, who is also National Coaches Association vice-president, said that the Harimau Muda players have done a decent job over the years and hope to see some changes in the players’ mentality for them to go further.
“While the team has made commendable progress, they have encountered some challenges along the way.
“It’s just that a few players may benefit from further development in their tactical intelligence and understanding of the game.
“Elavarasan has done his best to overcome this problem by coming up with various game strategies during his tenure, and I hope that whoever the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) brings in next can do better with this team,” Richard added.
Meanwhile, former national striker Datuk Hassan Sani recommended former Harimau Malaya assistant coach, S. Balachandran, to take on the role due to his vast experience in various roles in the national team.
“I personally believe that Bala is the right person for the job. He has the experience, and he has worked with many established coaches in the past, and I know that he can do the job well.
“He has a good relationship with the majority of our young players, and I highly advocate for a Malaysian to take on the role instead of giving it to a foreigner who’s going to take his own sweet time to understand the landscape of our football,” Hassan added.
According to a statement last week, FAM reached a mutual understanding with Elavarasan, allowing him to concentrate on his duties with the senior team while making room for others to take on the responsibility for the U23 Asian Cup in April.
Elavarasan was appointed head coach of the Under-23 team in September last year, replacing Brad Maloney.
Under his guidance, Harimau Muda won the Merlion Cup in Singapore in March and advanced to the semi-finals of last month’s AFF U23 Championship in Rayong, Thailand. – September 26, 2023
