Horror on the pitch, from knocks to crocks

You know it is an absolute horror of a weekend when you have a goalkeeper with a broken leg. It gets worse when another goalkeeper takes a bang on the head and has to be substituted.

The troubles are compounded further when your star-studded home state team struggle at home and drop two valuable points.

The icing on the cake?

When your favourite English team has players who are amateurish to a degree which would make even the most seasoned Sunday League footballer blush.

Hazards of the Super League

Sasikumar, who has been absolutely brilliant in goal for Johor Darul Takzim 2 in the Premier League, had to be stretchered off after 15 minutes away in Sabah.

Sasi has been enjoying a new lease of life since Rajko Magic took over the reins and turned around the team’s fortunes. His absence leaves a big hole in defence which Rajko would need to address urgently.

On Saturday, Izham Tarmizi of Johor Darul Takzim 1 took another knock on his head and he, too, was stretchered off.

Izham had been on the receiving end of a completely stupid and brainless challenge in the previous clash against Kelantan, and the Sarawak forward Rashid Aya compounded matters at Larkin Stadium.

JDT 1 struggled for long periods after the visiting Crocs had taken the lead. Playing on the counterattack, Robert Albert's boys looked in control until Luciano Figueroa slotted in the equaliser.

All square at halftime, the match fizzled out until Pablo Aimar came on as a substitute and injected guile and life into a fast fading JDT 1.

Alas, it was to no avail as the players clearly looked disinterested while Jumping Jack Jimenez bounced up and down on the sidelines.

Golden rule for managers – do not coach during a game! Clear instructions are passed on in training, not in the middle of an intense match of football with the noise propagated by thousands of fans screaming themselves hoarse.

All the tactical work should be done in preparation of a fixture, bar special circumstances, that is, a sending off.

It is no surprise to see Pahang sitting pretty on top of the Super League table. They look far stronger than any other team in Malaysia.

Their strike force of Matias Conti and the ever powerful Dickson Nwakaeme bring different skill sets. The positional play of Conti and the bludgeoning strength of Nwakaeme make them the most dangerous strike force in the country.

The local striker to impress this season is Safee Sali. He does not start too many games but looks sharp and precise coming on as a sub. Maybe there is a way of starting with both Safee and Figueroa for JDT 1?

Burning down the house

Over in England, David Moyes and Tim Sherwood share similar fortunes in terms of current league standings.

However, they have arrived at this point through vastly different means.

There is a similarity in that both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been poor this season.

While Moyes has managed to reduce the defending Premier League champions to being consistently average, however, the same cannot be said of Tim Sherwood at Spurs.

The man in charge is responsible. Full stop. But to be fair to Sherwood, it is more of trying to make sense of the players signed by the previous manager in charge (for hefty sums, I might add).

While the Manchester United defenders perform below themselves every week, the Spurs defenders have become the oppositions' best players.

Exhibit A: the poor defending of Jan Vertonghen. Although Christian Eriksen is getting slaughtered in the British press for "not tracking back", it is the responsibility of the central defender to provide cover whenever the ball breaks past the fullbacks.

Then the lumbering Michael Dawson stops thinking with his horrendous pass to Younes Kaboul. Game over!

Can anyone blame Sherwood for blowing his top when witnessing schoolboy errors?

There are certain standards set and demanded of professional footballers on the pitch, but individual errors cost too much.

Spurs are doomed because they have compiled too many sub-standard footballers at crazy prices. Yes, they were suckered by Andre Villas Boas.

It also must be said that by no means is Christian Eriksen a wide player! This is squarely on Sherwood's shoulders.

Unstoppable Suarez

Credit to Liverpool as they march on to quite possibly their first ever English Premier League title. They look fresh as a daisy every time they play, thanks to no European football.

And the best striker in the world is finding it too easy in the "toughest" league in the world, allegedly.

Luis Suarez has bamboozled defenders this season and could well have been playing on one leg. That is how good he has been and even then that handicap might not be enough for the opposition.

One game at a time now for Brendan Rodgers, as Manchester City's visit to Anfield in mid-April is shaping up to be a title decider. Definitely a match not to miss.

Here's to a better week. – April 1, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.