Impressive firepower and defensive question marks - what to expect from Lion City Sailors FC

There’s been a lot of anticipation and intrigue surrounding the Lion City Sailors (LCS) ahead of their Singapore Premier League opener against Tanjong Pagar United on Friday.

Following the bombshell announcement last month that former heavyweights Home United would be rebranded as Sailors, much has been made of their star-studded playing roster, big name foreign manager and the vast riches that came following their takeover by local businessman, Forrest Li. Having become the first club in Singapore football history to be privatised, much is expected from the nouveau riche club looking to take the SPL by storm. 

One area in which the Sailors could experience joy is going forward. Boasting a formidable frontline with a good mix of local and foreign talent, it’s hard to imagine the Bishan side struggling for goals this season.

Leading the line is Australian hotshot Andy Pengelly, signed over the off season from Australian NPL outfit Brisbane Strikers. Pengelly arrived with a big reputation, having netted 41 goals in just 26 league appearances for the Strikers last campaign. So far, he seems to have had no problem replicating his form in Singapore, scoring 10 goals in three pre-season games for his new side, including a hat trick against SPL rivals Young Lions.

Just behind him, Singapore internationals Gabriel Quak and Hafiz Nor out wide will be supported by another Singapore icon in Shahdan Sulaiman, and the ever-brilliant Song Ui-young. With Gabriel being snapped up from the now-defunct Warriors FC and Shahdan being poached from fierce rivals Tampines Rovers, an already potent strikeforce has just become deadlier.

LCS might have been indignantly branded a club “playing Championship Manager on cheat mode” by Tampines chairman Desmond Ong, but they’ll care little if the goals begin to flow from their expensively-assembled attacking unit.

Operating in the middle of the park, Sailors skipper Izzdin Shafiq will look to continue his usual brand of safe, composed passing to keep things ticking over nicely. Now in his fourth season at the club, Izzdin is an experienced campaigner and will be hope to be a calming influence for both the new signings and young players at the club. On an individual level, he’ll be looking to bounce back from a slightly disappointing 2019 season, in which he was some way short of his dynamic best and sometimes appeared jaded and fatigued.

The good news in that regard is that with a player like Shahdan alongside him, he’ll have less to worry about from an attacking perspective. With the former Tampines maestro supporting the frontmen from deep, Izzdin will be able to focus on what made him one of Home’s best players in their 2018 AFC Cup ASEAN Zone winning season, playing the sweeper and anchoring the defence.

However, with Izzdin aged 29 and Shahdan 31, the Sailors could struggle in the later part of the season as legs tire and energy levels drop, with the club never really managing to replace Anumanthan Kumar following his return to Hougang at the start of last season. Despite his undeniable technical ability, what made “Anu” so crucial to his side was his workman-like attitude on the pitch. Following his departure, his role on the pitch was occupied by Hami Syahin, who is a brilliant young footballer, but being more of a silky, technical midfielder, who lacks the stature and stamina to replicate Anu’s impact. With Hami too set to miss large parts of the 2020 season due to National Service commitments, the lack of depth in central midfield could be something for head coach Aurelio Vidmar to think about.

Finally, what could potentially be Lion City Sailors’ most uncertain department coming into the season is their backline. It’s a strange one, because they do have some top-quality defenders in there, but given how open they tended to be at times last season, one has to wonder how much they’ve done to arrest that.

Centre-half wise, the Sailors have, on paper, as capable personnel as anyone in the league. Abdil Qaiyyim is an experienced head, having been at the club since 2015, and has long proven himself one of his team’s best defenders. Assured and confident, Abdil has been a constant in an ever-evolving backline for the club. His defensive partner in 2019, Faizal Roslan, is no slouch either, being strong in the tackle and relatively quick, while new signing Kaishu Yamazaki from Albirex arrives to shore things up further.

The problem for the Sailors could emerge from down the flanks, as proved the case so often last season. New full-backs have arrived in the form of Zulqarnaen Suzliman and Tajeli Salamat, both members of Singapore’s SEA Games squad, but questions remain over their ability and consistency.

Zulqarnaen, while having made the Singapore right-back spot his own and continues to show maturity beyond his years, is still relatively inexperienced, and is making his first foray away from the Young Lions from a club perspective. Nonetheless, he remains a hugely exciting prospect and it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with the pressure of playing for one of the SPL’s big boys.

Tajeli, meanwhile, had a mixed bag of performances at the SEA Games. Coming in as an overaged player, he demonstrated his calmness in possession and strength in the air, but also made a slew of errors which cost the Cubs on some occasions, and his concentration is definitely something he’ll have to work on in the coming season.

On the whole, it’s set to be an exciting season for the Lion City Sailors, and it’s hoped that with their newly-found resources and top-class players, they’ll eventually be able to kick on and challenge for honours both domestically and in Asia.