PETALING JAYA: A mammoth task awaits Pahang when they face defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the Malaysia Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on April 26.
Former Pahang midfielder Mohd Gopi Rizqi Rama Chandra believed that with JDT’s current performance, the Tok Gajah squad needs to be more cohesive and aggressive if they want to lift the prestigious trophy, which they last won in 2014.
“Personally, I see that the squad led by Fandi Ahmad will face difficulties because the Southern Tigers team are currently at their best form, and more so as they are aiming to make a clean sweep of the domestic titles.
“At the same time, JDT can be said to have a very solid and complete line-up of players which is another obstacle which Pahang must work hard to overcome.
“Moreover, the absence of two key players like Kpah Sherman (pic) and Manuel Hidalgo in the frontline is additional pressure on Pahang as they have to find able replacements to break through the JDT defence,” said Gopi, who featured in the 2014 winning team.
Recalling the success of helping Pahang lift the prestigious trophy in 2014, he added that at that time the Tok Gajah squad had the best line-up of players including substitutes who were able to shoulder their responsibilities perfectly.
“For me, having players who have been with us for a long time, since 2012, has helped Pahang achieve success when they successfully won the Malaysia Cup in 2013 and followed up with another win 2014.
“With that advantage, we managed to put Pahang at the top for two consecutive seasons,” he added, stressing that strong mental preparation and no-give-up attitude will be crucial when facing a team like JDT.
