Get off me: JDT’s Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi (left) is challenged by Negri’s Mohd Harith Samsuri during their Super League match. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim coach Xisco Munoz has ordered his defence to tighten up after they survived a good scare against Negri Sembilan before winning 5-3 in their Super League match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Tuesday.
The Southern Tigers had to claw their way back from two goals down, conceded within 12 minutes.
Despite JDT managing to draw level before half-time, Spaniard Munoz is not taking the uncharacteristic slip-up lightly.
“We were sleeping a little in the early minutes and gave them the space to score from transitions,” said Munoz.
“We need to be more consistent, stronger in both areas, and prioritise clean sheets. We are still in the early part of the league, so we need to learn about the different situations that we will be in, at home or away, and in the early minutes, we need to be aggressive,” he said.
Negri coach Nidzam said his players had shown commitment and quality on the pitch, but their opponents eventually proved too strong for them.
“We had to face pressure from a very mature side. They played with quality and discipline,” said Nidzam. “We had conceded several goals from set-pieces like corners, which exposed some weaknesses that need to be addressed.”
He reminded his players to take the positives from the match, as the early season still leaves plenty of opportunities for goals.
“It’s not easy, but we hope to rectify our weaknesses, especially in terms of our tactics and defensive discipline.’’
The teams will now shift their focus to the FA Cup, with JDT playing University Malaya Damansara United on Saturday and Negri taking on Police on Monday.
