Malaysia set to rise in rankings but coach keeps team on guard

PETALING JAYA: After two straight wins in friendlies over Turkmenistan and Hong Kong, Malaysia are set to rise from 145th to 139th in the FIFA world rankings.

Kim Pan-gon is pleased with the progress but being the demanding coach that he is, the South Korean was quick to remind his charges that there’s still much to do as they prepare for the Asian Cup next year.

“The work is still ongoing, although I feel that we have improved. But there’s always room for improvement,’’ he said.

“We now have a winning habit and I want the team to be a fortress. We can’t be too satisfied after these two wins and we must push ourselves to improve further as the fans expect something more.’’

With the Super League resuming on Friday, the next international fixtures will only be in June where Pan-gon is planning two more friendly matches at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.

It is learnt that one of the games could be against Yemen.

“We have invited two teams as part of our preparation for the Asian Cup next year. In September, we could head overseas, and the opponents could be Hong Kong again, but I will discuss it with FAM first.’’