PETALING JAYA: Many teams would like to be in Selangor’s shoes for now. The Red Giants seem to be on a hot streak after winning seven games on the trot.
But not all’s rosy with coach Katsuhito Kinoshi’s (pic) outfit, due to their demanding fans.
They were full of grouses after the team’s laboured 1-0 win over Penang in their Challenge Cup first-leg game.
Many lamented the wasted chances which, if they had been converted, would have given Selangor a much handsomer win.
Fortunately, Kinoshi’s charges have an opportunity to put that right when they face the Panthers again in a Super League match at the City Stadium in Georgetown today.
The Japanese, who took over the reins from Nidzam Jamil in November, said he is aware of the supporters’ discontent and expects his strikers to be more clinical this time.
‘’Fans at big clubs can be very hard to please, but I understand their frustration. Selangor supporters are among the most passionate and they demand impressive wins,’’ said Kinoshi.
‘’So it’s our job as professionals to meet those demands and deliver the kind of results they want.
“I admit Penang were the better side in that Challenge Cup match as they had a lot of variations to their game but we still did well not to concede.
‘’We created many chances due to our good teamwork and scored the important goal.
‘’Now, we have to make sure our finishing is much better in our league match.’’
When Kinoshi took over as coach on Nov 25, Selangor lost their first two games against Thai club Muangthong United (1-2, AFC Champions League Two) and Pahang (1-2, Malaysia Cup second-leg quarter-final).
But after thrashing Cebu 4-0 in the final game of the ACL Two, they went on to win their next six games in all competitions.
‘’We’ve had a good run of results and I believe the best is yet to come. The players have the right attitude and mental strength to do even better,’’ added Kinoshi.
Selangor are second in the league with 38 points from 17 games, while Penang are 11th with 15 points.