Written by: Muhammad Yazid
A 4-0 thrashing by Home United condemned Tanjong Pagar United to their fifth loss of the season, but there was to be no rebuke for the visitors from their coach Patrick Vallee despite the margin of defeat.
Instead, Vallee gave his team his vote of confidence and insisted to the press that he was struggling without his best eleven due to injuries and suspensions.
“Everyone needs to understand that this is not my full squad,“ Vallee added firmly. “We have six key players who are suspended and suffering from injury problems, in my 19-man squad.“
“Many people have big expectations of us after last season. But I can tell everyone that we are better than last season, tactically, technically and physically.“
Having said that, the Frenchman went on to reveal that the Jaguars had went into the tie with confidence that they could nick a result off Home despite the hosts’ brilliant form coming into this game.
“Although we suffered so many injury and suspension problems, we worked out a plan and were confident about the game,“ he said.
“Sadly everything changed after the first goal. Lee Kwan Woo’s free-kick, it has 99% of chances to turn out to be a goal because of his ability.
“We even created chances before conceding that goal. Still, we tried to stay confident and wanted to come back before first half.”
Vallee’s counterpart, Home coach Lee Lim Saeng, was full of praises for his team as they achieved their fifth straight victory in all competitions.
“My players showed hardwork and commitment throughout the game and I am happy to see their efforts,“ he praised.
“The players morales’ are very high. They showed great commitment together even when the opponents were not easy.“
However, the South Korean was not about to get excited about his team’s title hopes, as he urged his team to remain calm.
“It is still early in the season, which is a long one. The first part of the season is not yet over,“ he said.
“We still have many matches in the league and we are slowly getting better after a slow start to the season.
“We will continue to try to play attractive football, which is what we have been doing all along this season.“