KUALA LUMPUR – Kuala Lumpur City FC head coach Miroslav Kuljanac admitted that the lack of squad depth led to his side’s emphatic defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) FC in their second Malaysia Super League match yesterday.
The City Boys stumbled to a 5-1 defeat against the Southern Tigers at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, with their only goal coming in the 45th minute from a Paulo Josue penalty.
KL City have struggled with injuries since the start of their Super League campaign, with key player Kamal Azizi potentially out for several weeks due to a broken right hand suffered in their opener against Kuching City on May 12.
Kuljanac said he had no choice but to rotate the team by fielding players unfamiliar with their positions against JDT due to the lack of players.
“It was a difficult game for us against JDT, but my players gave their best to be ready for these moments. I’m happy with the attitude they showcased throughout the match.
“We were alive in the match when the score was 2-1, but after they (JDT) scored the third goal, it affected our momentum and things didn’t work our way after that.
“There were so many mistakes we could have avoided, but it’s too late to talk about it now.
“Squad depth is indeed an issue that we are facing due to some injuries. That’s one of the reasons why I had to rotate a few players into positions they are not very used to.
“But at least I tried to do something instead of nothing. The rotations didn’t work this time on the pitch against JDT, but I have a feeling that they will work in the days to come,” said Kuljanac in the post-match conference yesterday.
At the same time, Kuljanac commended the performance of his goalkeeper Azri Ghani, citing that his side would have conceded more in the game without his saves.
The 25-year-old, who joined KL City in 2022, made a total of 25 saves in the match that attracted 4,750 fans to the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium.
“Azri played well today as he made many crucial saves in the match. Without him, we would have conceded more, and he is one of our biggest assets.
“He’s now the second-choice keeper for the Malaysia national team and possesses quality. I wouldn’t be surprised if he one day becomes the first-choice keeper for Malaysia.
“It was never easy to play JDT, who have better quality, but we have quality players like Azri.
“I hope that we can regain our momentum once our injured players are back in the next few weeks or a month from now,” Kuljanac added.
KL City currently rank 11th in the Super League table with one point from two games. – May 26, 2024
