PETALING JAYA: Police head coach Eddy Gapil admits that the team’s 3-1 loss to Kuala Lumpur comes as a wake-up for the team to buck up during the international break.
The Cops are still in search of their first win in the Super League this season after drawing their first three matches, and the wait continued after they fell to the City Boys at the Cheras Stadium on Wednesday.
Eddy admitted that player selection in the squad has been limited due to injuries, which forced him to play South Korean Park Tae-su at the front due to the absence of injured Nigerian attacker Elisha Kashim.
“We currently only have 28 players who are fit to play,” said Eddy.
“That’s one of the reasons why I placed Tae-su at the front due to limited choices, which has been tough for us to create chances.
“I understand that Kuala Lumpur are one of the strong teams in the country, and this is a lesson for us to fix our team,” he said.
With clubs having two weeks off thanks to the international break, Eddy said the team will use that time wisely to address issues before facing Negri Sembilan in the FA Cup round of 16 second-leg fixture on Sep 12.
The first-leg meeting saw a 10-man Police team thrashed 5-0 by Negri at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium last Monday.
“It’ll be a good break for us to analyse everything that we can before our next match.
“Looking at the team, almost 80 per cent are newcomers, especially the imports, and another 14 players are recruited police officers.
“So we need the time for the coaching staff to recognise the players and for them to understand our way of playing,” said Eddy.
Hoping to end their winless drought soon, Eddy added that their performance has been concerning, but he always reminds his players to stay optimistic and hungry.
“There is pressure, especially when we fail to get wins. But I always remind my players to stay positive and work hard to get a win,” he said.
After the FA Cup match against Negri, Police will return to their Super League campaign against Kelantan on Sep 20.
