PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya City secured only one point but coach P. Maniam remains positive.
The Phoenix were dominant and created most of the chances but were unable to hit the back of the net after an absorbing 0-0 draw against Kuala Lumpur in the Super League encounter at the Cheras Football Stadium on Saturday.
But instead of lamenting, Maniam decided to see the “one point” as a boost in future league matches.
Their winless run has now stretched to eight games, but Maniam said the draw against the reigning Malaysia Cup champions was still good after their demoralising 0-4 defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) on June 28.
“It’s a boost. Despite not being able to score against a tough Kuala Lumpur, I felt my boys carried themselves well in the game,” said Maniam.
“We dominated possession, created chances and knew when not to press the opposition. In terms of tactics we got it right, and I want this to continue.”
They face Melaka at the Hang Jebat Stadium on Wednesday.
He admitted that two early yellow cards to defenders Zainal Abidin Jamil and K. Kannan in the first half hampered his plan to add more dimension to the attacking third through substitutions.
He took both the players out in the 55th minute and replaced them with Raffi Nagoorgani and V. Ruventhiran.
“I could only bring in S. Kumaahran and Khyril Muhymeen in the second half to give a different approach to our attack. If the defenders did not get the early yellows, we could have brought in an extra forward, especially R. Kogileswaran.”
PJ City are ninth in the league with 10 points from 10 games.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur coach Bojan Hodak was happy with the point despite playing with a depleted squad.
Key players like Ryan Lambert, Akram Mahinan, Kamal Azizi, D. Kenny Pallraj, J. Partiban and captain Paulo Josue missed the game due to injuries and suspension.
“Our midfield was completely different. That was the difference in the game against PJ City. Not only that, Jordan Mintah and Romel Morales were actually sick but played.
“I have to respect their effort because they wanted to play for the team. Plus, two of our substitutes (Iman Fakrullah Zamri and Nadzwin Mohd Salleh) were youngsters playing for the first time.
“PJ City were aggressive and hardworking. We had chances but had to defend because of our depth. So, I’m happy with a point.”
Kuala Lumpur are sixth with 14 points from 11 matches. They will next face Selangor at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Wednesday.
