Is Lions coach Raddy losing his touch?
COMMENT
Singapore national football coach Raddy Avramovic's latest 25-men team selection for two upcoming Lions games is puzzling.
The Lions are scheduled to play Azerbaijan in a friendly game in the UAE next Friday before taking on Iraq in a final dead rubber group game of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on 29 Feb.
With no points from the five previous games, Singapore is set to finish last in Group A of the qualifiers, rendering this tie meaningless.
The next major competition in line for the national team is the ASEAN Football Championships (or Suzuki Cup) in December.
With this mind, Raddy would do well to select players expected to compete for a place in the eventual Suzuki Cup squad, as well as youngsters whom he might like to assess personally.
Duric out
The biggest surprise is no doubt the omission of evergreen striker Aleksandar Duric.
Even at the ripe age of 41, he has been one of the more consistent performers in the Lions squad. He passed the mandatory beep test for the S-League with little fuss and is the current captain of his S-League club side Tampines Rovers.
As long as he stays injury-free, there is little reason why he should not be involved in Singapore's campaign in the ASEAN Football Championships.
Raddy has argued on record that Duric's omission was to make way for other players to come through the ranks. However …
Qiu Li in
…it is surprising to see Qiu Li is in the team.
The China-born striker played one good game for Singapore in 2011 — against Malaysia in the second Round of the Qualifiers — where he scored with a superb free-kick. Thereafter, he disappointed and looked overawed at international level.
He has not featured in both Home United matches this season thus far, so there definitely are some question marks over his match-fitness level.
Agu in, Sufian out
14 of 25 players called up by Raddy come from the Malaysia Super League side LionsXII.
But arguably the man of the moment, striker Sufian Anur, has been left out. The 24-year-old forward has just enjoyed two eye-catching outings for LionsXII, pairing up superbly with Shahril Ishak upfront.
The hardworking striker gave everything in his first two starts for LionsXII and was clearly instrumental as his team picked up six points.
Incidentally, the player he replaced in LionsXII, Agu Casmir, made it back to the national team after a hiatus in 2011. Agu's last significant contribution to the national team was his lacklustre involvement in the 2010 Suzuki Cup.
Many will agree with me when I say that Agu's performances for LionsXII have clearly been sub-par. Despite his enthusiasm, he clearly lacks the cutting edge that made him one of the most feared strikers in the region just a few years ago.
What Agu is clearly lacking is confidence and form, so I doubt two very tough international games at this stage will be of any help.
Wilkisnon, Ahmad Latiff and Alam Shah out
The continued absence of the trio of John Wilkinson, Ahmad Latiff Khamaruddin and Noh Alam Shah is even more baffling.
Wilkinson and Ahmad Latiff are perhaps two of the most technically gifted players Singapore has to offer. Both players enjoyed good seasons with their respective clubs in 2011 and look set to do so again in 2012.
Wilkinson played a season in the Thailand Premier League with Police United and was made captain of the team that eventually finished mid-table. He has since returned to Singapore with Home United and is expected to play a key role for the Protectors in 2012.
Ahmad Latiff was a key player for Tampines Rovers in 2011 as his club went on to win the league title. He is highly versatile and can operate along either flank or upfront. He look set to feature prominently in the Stags' current campaign.
When Singapore last won the Suzuki Cup in 2006, Noh Alam Shah was pivotal and was the top scorer for that tournament with 10 goals. However, the mercurial striker last played for the national side in 2010, despite enjoying a bright spell with Indonesian outfit Arema Malang, where he grew from strength to strength to become a cult hero at the club.
All things being equal, the trio are usually shoo-ins for the national side, so Raddy's latest selection is baffling at the least.
If Raddy's aim is to do well in the Suzuki Cup this year, he needs to be able to select his best squad of players based on merit.
If not, he risks sending out all the wrong signals to deserving players dying for a call-up to the national team.
Do you think Raddy got his selection wrong?
