KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon intends to use the Tier 1 international matches in Chiang Mai, Thailand next month to refine the team’s style of play.
Apart from world number 147 Malaysia, the other three teams in the Sept 20-26 tournament are Thailand (world number 111), Tajikistan (number 108) and Trinidad & Tobago (number 101).
The tournament format, which begins with the semi-finals, will see Malaysia playing only two matches.
Pan Gon said the team would fully utilise the opportunity to take on their higher-ranked opponents to further raise their quality of performance.
“We need to continue to focus and look ahead, starting with the two international matches in September, followed by the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 in December, in preparation for next year’s Asian Cup.
“Apart from wanting to get a positive result, I want to use this opportunity to refine our style of play and take our footballing philosophy to a higher level,” he said in a statement issued by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today.
The Tier 1 international tournament is organised by the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and will be held at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium. - Bernama
