Melaka United have a tough opener in this year’s Malaysia Cup competition – playing newly crowned Premier League champions Felda United in Jengka in their Group B match on Sunday.
However, E. Elavarasan, head coach of Melaka, believes that his team will be no pushovers in the Malaysia Cup competition. The other two teams in the group are Super League’s PKNS FC and Premier League’s Police.
Elavarasan, credited with taking Melaka to a creditable seventh place in the 12-team Super League, has plugged the shortcomings in the team. He took over the hot-seat from Eduardo Almeida in May at a time when Melaka was languishing in the relegation zone.
“The Malaysia Cup has its own aura. The draw has been made and all the teams that have qualified for the competition have an equal chance of making the knockout stage.
“Melaka is no different in this respect. However, I must admit that we must take our game to the next level to make our presence felt. We achieved some decent results to finish in mid-table in the Super League.
“It was a creditable performance from the players who gave their best to overcome the hiccups,” said Elavarasan who is in his second stint with Melaka. His first was in 2005-2006 season.
Elavarasan made some mid-season signings during the second transfer window, including national goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, midfielders S. Veenod and Faris Shah Rosli (all from Kelantan), strikers Ifedayo Olusegun (Nigeria) and Lee Chang-hoon (Korea) and rightwinger Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim (JDT).
“The new signings have given the team more depth. Khairul has given the team more confidence as the last line of defense. He is an inspiration and a leader. He carries his role as the skipper effectively,” added Elavarasan.
For the match against Felda, Elavarasan said it will be a “test of character” for his team that is guided by the wily B. Sathianathan who brings with him a wealth of experience.
“We won’t be just making up the numbers. Our initial target is to make the knockout stage.’
Melaka reached the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals last year.RIZAL ABDULLAHÂ
