It’s been a largely positive start to the season for Tampines Rovers FC. A narrow AFC Champions League defeat to Bali United has been followed by a well-deserved 2-1 victory over PSM Makassar, a comprehensive 3-0 win over local rivals Hougang and a matured, composed display away in Manila, where the Stags earned a point against Philippine side Kaya.
Despite being just four games into the new season, things really seem to be clicking for Gavin Lee’s Stags, not just in the way of results, but also in terms of their style of play.
Tampines have travelled to some difficult grounds this season, including the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the AFC Cup, as well as the SCG and Larkin Stadiums to face Muangthong and JDT II in pre-season. In all these games, the Stags have knocked the ball about confidently, consistently playing their way out of tight situations and dominating possession.
In that respect, it could be argued that Marko Kraljevic’s Balestier Khalsa side represent the perfect anti-Tampines.
With big men Sime Zuzul and Shuhei Hoshino up top, supported by midfield maestros Hazzuwan Halim and Kristijan Krajcek, the Tigers look set to stick with their classic strategy of getting the ball into their technical midfielders, who then look to pick out Zuzul or Hoshino with quick balls played over the top.
Despite last season’s disappointing bottom-placed finish, it’s a tactic which has worked in the past, with Kraljevic’s side winning the 2014 Singapore Cup, and subsequently claiming a place in the 2015 AFC Cup.
The loss of livewire Daniel Goh to Albirex is a huge blow for Balestier, with the winger proving one of their brightest sparks in 2019 and key to their style of play, but the club was quick to snap up a similarly talented player in Zulfadhmi Suzliman, a former Tampines golden boy with something to prove. He will relish the chance to return to the Our Tampines Hub pitch, albeit this time in bright red rather than yellow.
It’ll be interesting to see how Tampines cope with the Tigers when their Singapore Premier League campaign kicks off on Sunday. Despite most factors seemingly pointing to an easy Stags victory, closer analysis indicates it will not be a walk in the park.
Tampines’ two victories this season have come against incredibly open and attacking sides in PSM Makassar and Hougang United, whose forward endeavour had unwittingly played into Gavin Lee’s hands. Creative midfielders Yasir Hanapi, Kyoga Nakamura and Zehrudin Mehmedovic were able to pick holes in the defences and create chance after chance for striker Boris Kopitovic, who needed no second invitation.
However, they were faced with a different sort of challenge when they travelled to Manila last Wednesday. Kaya’s plan was simple; pack the defence, limit the spaces and relentlessly press Mehmedovic and Nakamura whenever they entered the final third. A fairly straightforward idea on the surface, but it worked a treat. Tampines utterly monopolised possession, with 74 per cent of the ball, but managed just two shots on target all game. They never really looked like scoring either.
The saving grace on that occasion was that Kaya showed virtually no desire or ability to test the Stags defence at all, despite the Tampines backline having shown itself to be far from rock solid.
This weekend, they come up against a strikeforce consisting of Zuzul, who managed nine goals in 17 league games last season, and Hoshino, who plundered 19 goals in 23 games in his last campaign in Singapore. Rest assured, they won’t be nearly as forgiving as Kaya’s misfiring frontmen.
Balestier have the quality in midfield to play those killer balls in behind, and if their new look defence, shored up by the returning Zaiful Nizam and new signing Ensar Bruncevic, can hold firm, it could be a long night for Tampines Rovers.
