Why Tanjong Pagar United are everyone's second-favourite team

As the referee brought an end to a pulsating, end-to-end game at the Jurong East Stadium on Friday, the Tanjong Pagar United players virtually collapsed to the floor in sheer exhaustion.

It had been another herculean performance from the boys in black and amber, who had this time held three-time SPL champions Albirex Niigata to a 2-2 draw. The Jaguars, down to 10 men since the 44th minute, were six minutes away from clinching all three points, before Tomoyuki Doi’s late header snatched a point for the White Swans.

As it had been against the Lion City Sailors two weeks prior, Tanjong Pagar seemed happy to cede much of the possession to their opponents, allowing Albirex to dictate play and giving the likes of Doi, Iman Hakim and Ryoya Taniguchi the freedom to knock it around comfortably.

So confident were they in their defensive prowess, that rather than fiercely contesting the midfield battle, the Jaguars backed themselves to deal with whatever the White Swans could possibly throw at them. And for a vast majority of the game, they were right. This was made even more impressive by the fact that despite centre-back Delwinder Singh being sent off in the first half, they played on with a defender less for the remainder of the match, rather than bringing a like-for-like replacement off the bench.

However, when an opposition player is guilty of a loose pass and Tanjong Pagar regain possession in their own defensive third, the Jaguars really come alive.

Quick, incisive balls are played out of defence and into the feet of Ignatius Ang, Syahadat Masnawi and Luiz Junior, who then charge forward at pace. The latter in particular has proven himself to be a more than willing runner, pairing pace and power with guile and trickery.

It’s a combination which has worked a treat against two of the league’s big boys in LCS and Albirex, with defenders struggling to cope with the front three’s intricate linkup play. Their opener against Albirex was classic Tanjong Pagar. Luiz Junior exchanged a quick one-two with Syahadat before bursting beyond his fullback and crossing low for Shodai Nishikawa to score before the White Swans’ defence could even bat an eyelid.

It’s this style of football, quick, aesthetically appealing and razor-sharp that have made Tanjong Pagar United such a great watch this season. They don’t have the most talented nor most expensive playing roster in the league, but what they lack in technical quality, they more than make up for in heart and desire. 

Watching the likes of captain Faritz Hameed and his fellow Jaguars throwing their bodies on the line and working their socks off all game to keep the effervescent Albirex attack at bay was truly a sight to behold. It’s easy to crumble when placed under pressure, but these boys were having none of it. 

The only blot on their copybook, unfortunately, were the suspected serious injuries to talismen Luiz Junior and Nashrul Amin, with the former reportedly fracturing his left ankle while Nashrul was confirmed by the club to have incurred a serious knee injury following his substitution early on.

This is a huge blow for Tanjong Pagar. Junior in particular has been a hugely influential player for them this season, and his absence could potentially throw a spanner in the works for Hairi Su’ap and his team.

However, with the talented coaching lineup of Hairi, Hasrin Jailani and Noh Alam Shah, you’d more than back the Jaguars to have something or other up their collective sleeves once the league returns from its recent Covid-19 postponement.