Singapore wins

Congrats to Singapore national soccer team for winning the tournament in Ho Chi Minh!

We can derive quite some positives from the performances. We do have some strength in depth. Although some of our players are absent as they ply their trade in the Indonesian league, like Noh Alam Shah and Mustafic Fahrudin, I think some other players have stepped up.

Sharil Ishak looks to be a good contender to start, while RB and long-thrower Shaiful Esah may well prove sufficient to dislodge Noh Rahman. I always thought Esah was a better player and the good thing is that he is younger.

Duric, at 39 years of age, still looks dangerous. Having topped the S-League goalscoring charts again he is one of the more definite choices for the 2 matches against Thailand in mid-November. Crucial to win both to get to the Asian Cup.

There are many other contenders though. Noh Alam Shah, Duric, Khairul Amri, Agu Casmir, Masrezwan Masturi, and whoever I missed out. I think Duric should be starting, because he is good with the head and his feet. His partner would best be Noh, since he is speedy to complement Duric. Amri is speedy but has just come back from injury and does not have the experience of Noh. But Amri will be a good choice for winger or impact substitute.

Agu will probably be up as a sub for Duric if Duric is shut out.

Let's hope Singapore will carry this success forward and shut out Thailand's hopes.