Scouting
the Tampines Rovers
by rick olivares
Tampines Rovers look to stamp their
class as Singapore’s top football side when they take on Loyola Meralco Sparks
in the two-legged semifinals series of the 2012 Singapore Cup.
Not only is Tampines the defending S.
League champions but they are also the current league leaders with a 14-4-4
record (with Albirex Niigata, the squad they vanquished in the Singapore Cup
quarterfinals behind by four points in the standings).
The first leg of the semis clash will
be at Tampines’ home field of Clementi Stadium. The stadium seats about 4,000
people and has an excellent grass pitch. It’s a 30-40-minute drive including
traffic from where Loyola is based in Bugis.
Tampines runs a 3-4-3 formation:
Sasha Dreven
Jufri Taha Anaz Hadee Benoit Croissant
Ismadi Mukhtar Fahrudin Mustafic Saed Hadzibulic Jamil Ali
David Piskor Alex Duric Gligor Gligorov
Hadzibulic plays a holding midfield
position that is crucial to Tampines’ game plan as he is a good stopper and can
deliver the ball to Duric who plays the target with accuracy.
Gligorov takes their free kicks and
can be spot on with his delivery. It is a huge advantage that Tampines’
forwards are all very tall and can win those high balls.
They have speed on the wings with
Jamil Ali but he tends to dribble a little too much when he should pass.
The way to beat Tampines is to stop
Hadzibulic and Mustafic. Divest them of the ball. That will force Gligorov to
go back and help out. Duric may be getting in on the years but he remains a
dangerous scorer. The old warhorse has eight goals in the current S. League. But
the Bosnian Serb doesn’t track back as much as he used to as he picks his
spots. A fast pace doesn’t suit Tampines as they prefer a more deliberate game
with Hadzibulic launches those GPS-laced long balls of his to his forward line.
Mustafic? I am not sure if he has come
back healthy. But I would not underestimate him. This team as coached by Tay Peng Kee (who once played forward for Singapore) has scorers. Yes, they love to play attacking football.
Tampines is vulnerable from attack
from the right side where Ben Croissant will have his hands full.
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In other Singapore Cup action, Singapore Armed Forces defeated Gombak United , 1-0, after a Takeshi Inui penalty in the 35th minute. Second leg is at the Jurong West Stadium this Saturday.
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In other Singapore Cup action, Singapore Armed Forces defeated Gombak United , 1-0, after a Takeshi Inui penalty in the 35th minute. Second leg is at the Jurong West Stadium this Saturday.
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