Firdaus Kassim determined to turn Hougang’s Singapore Premier League season around after rocky start
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Hougang United's head coach Firdaus Kassim (centre) has won just one of his five games this season.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SINGAPORE – After a turbulent start to the Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, Hougang United find themselves at the wrong end of the table.
The Cheetahs have lost four straight matches, including against perennial strugglers Young Lions, and languish in eighth place; ahead of only the national developmental side on goal difference.
Hougang were dubbed title contenders in February
An ambitious recruitment strategy saw Hougang bring in Lions trio Zaiful Nizam, Shahdan Sulaiman and Gabriel Quak to bolster their squad. While a host of foreign players have left, two experienced defenders were also signed from the J3 League.
The centre-back partnership of Naoki Kuriyama, 32, and Kazuma Takayama, 26, was intended to fix a leaky defence that conceded a staggering 71 goals in 28 league matches last term. The duo have started in all five games this season but Hougang have still let in 11 goals without a clean sheet.
Head coach Firdaus Kassim said: “It’s easy to look at our two Japanese centre-backs and blame them for our defensive problems. But we also got to look at how our attackers are not chasing back enough.”
Goalkeeper Zaiful added: “Most of us are new to the club, trying our best to adapt to a new playing style. There is no problem communicating on the field (with Kuriyama and Takayama) as most of us have been playing football for many years. Everyone is giving their best effort.”
Despite losing key players Shahdan (fractured leg) in pre-season and Kristijan Krajcek (fractured wrist) in early March to injuries, Firdaus refused to attribute recent results to luck.
He stressed he would not be switching to a back-three system and added: “After analysing the (Brunei) DPMM game, we found that we were in a deep block for only four or five times. We are struggling in the transitions and in set pieces because we are not winning second balls. It’s these phases of the match that are killing us.
“We are dominating matches, having more possession and creating many chances, yet not finishing them often enough. We have been trying to work on improving our attacking to defensive transitions, to minimise these situations. But if you don’t score, you don’t win games.”
Hougang will be boosted by Krajcek’s expected return within the next two weeks. In the players’ camp, Quak remains confident of a swift turnaround.
Gabriel Quak (with ball) training with his Hougang United teammates at Jalan Besar Stadium.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The 2020 SPL Player of the Year said: “We can’t hide from the fact we haven’t been scoring. Everyone needs to take responsibility, including myself. There isn’t any internal conflict or fighting within the team and we are not pressing the panic button yet.
“This is a passing phase for the club and we are confident the poor results will end soon. Things change quickly in football. Pressure is always a constant and, as a team, we must not crack under pressure.”
Quak and his teammates will certainly hope to relieve some tension by beating sixth-placed Tanjong Pagar United on Thursday, which Firdaus describes as “a tough physical battle”.
History is not on Hougang’s side, as they have not beaten Tanjong Pagar in their last seven league meetings; their last victory (3-2) coming in November 2020.
Zaiful noted: “The team atmosphere is strong and nothing has changed. We will give everything for the three points and we all believe, in football, just one great result can turn the season around.”
Young Lions v Balestier (Saturday, 8.30pm, Jalan Besar)
Balestier will fancy their chances against the league’s leakiest defence – the Young Lions have conceded 16 times in six outings – on Saturday. Tigers head coach Peter de Roo has had an impressive start to the season despite inheriting a limited squad.
