BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
Having gone seven matches unbeaten in all competitions in June to reach the FA Cup final, Selangor's luck eventually ran out in the final match when they were beaten 2-0 by Pahang, and they have since been unable to replicate their form.
Since then, they have lost 2-1 away to relegation-threatened Kelantan, drew 3-3 at home against ten-man Kuala Lumpur, and on Wednesday lost 3-1 away to bottom-placed Negeri Sembilan in the Malaysia Super League.
Next Match
Their gap with the relegation zone in the Malaysia Super League has now shrunk to just six points, with two rounds remaining to be played, although they have a game in hand.
But in the press conference following the Negeri match, head coach Nazliazmi Nasir denied that his charges' performance has been affected by external factors, when asked by Goal.
"I don't see any problems in our camp. Our morale is high, while everyone is getting along well with each other. As the head coach I'm responsible for the results.
"God willing, I'm optimistic that we can overturn our form in our three last games," he remarked.
However, he seems to have his work cut out for him due to injuries to Indonesian forward Ilham Udin Armaiyn and Brazilian centre back Willian Pacheco. Ilham had been injured in the match against Kuala Lumpur, while the defender had been absent since he was stretchered off the pitch in their second leg FA Cup semi-final match against PKNS FC.
In Pacheco's absence, the Red Giants' defence have shipped in 10 goals in four matches.
"According to the physio, Pacheco has around one to one and a half week left in his recovery process.
"This is the hand that I've been dealt with. I need to put my faith in the available players, and it is up to them to repay that faith I've shown them," he said.
In the match that was held at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Seremban, the goals were scored by Nicolas Velez (13', 75') and Flavio Beck (p. 17'), while Selangor's solitary goal was scored by Rufino Segovia (14').
Goals scored in the Negeri Sembilan vs Selangor match
Latest MSL standings
Follow Goal Malaysia's brand spanking new Instagram account!
