Strugglers hope revamps herald new chapters

After forgettable campaigns last season, Geylang International and Balestier Khalsa hope major squad revamps will spark an improvement in their Singapore Premier League fortunes.

Geylang, sixth of eight teams last term, have retained only five senior players - goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam, defenders Faizal Roslan and Abdil Qaiyyim, defensive midfielder Umar Akhbar and forward Fareez Farhan - for this campaign.

Balestier, who finished one spot below them in seventh, have kept faith with just four - defenders Amer Hakeem and Ensar Bruncevic, midfielder Gareth Low and Japanese forward Shuhei Hoshino.

The Tigers, who open against Tampines Rovers tomorrow at the Toa Payoh Stadium, also have a new face in the dugout.

Singaporean Akbar Nawas, 46, takes over from long-serving Croat Marko Kraljevic, 56, who was head coach in two separate spells from 2014 to last year.

Under Kraljevic, Balestier played an old-fashioned direct, physical style. Akbar, who in 2019 was named the I-League's best coach after leading Chennai City to their first Indian league title, has promised to instil a possession-based, attacking philosophy.

His Chennai side scored 48 times in 20 matches with a quick, passing style that led Indian media to label his team "tiki-taka technicians". Akbar called it a "new dawn" and said: "My coaching staff and I are working hard to ensure our players understand the rationale behind what we do and more importantly, are brave enough to play without fear."

Among his new signings are former Albirex Niigata forwards Ryoya Taniguchi and Kuraba Kondo, who had 17 goals between them last season.

Akbar, who signed a two-year contract, said: "We have to be realistic and realise change does not happen overnight. There'll be instances this season where we might get thrashed. Outsiders may brand us naive or stubborn but what's important is the players believe in this new direction.

"Success for us this season would be for people to identify us as a team that dominate possession. Slowly but surely, we will look to compete for honours."

Left-back Ho Wai Loon, 28, has joined from the Lion City Sailors.

He said: "Since coach Akbar came in, we have all embraced this new philosophy but we know it'll be a tough season ahead. But so far, all the new players have settled in well."

Geylang, who face a tough opening fixture against champions Sailors - they lost 8-0 last April - on March 4 at Our Tampines Hub, have also been busy with changes.

The Eagles have signed Sime Zuzul, the 26-year-old Croat who scored 30 goals in three seasons at Balestier, and French midfielder Vincent Bezecourt, who previously played in the United States' Major League Soccer and Europa League. Former Albirex duo Takahiro Tezuka and Rio Sakuma complete the foreign quartet.

Head coach Noor Ali, 46, has targeted a fourth-placed finish. He is in the final leg of a three-year contract extension he signed in 2019.

He said: "Every year... I have had only one objective - to see this club compete with the best.

"But to meet our objectives for this season, we need a collective effort from everyone involved... Everyone is raring to go."