PETALING JAYA: Selangor head coach Katsuhito Kinoshi is feeling the strain of juggling a packed schedule with limited squad depth.
The Red Giants, beaten 4-2 by Bangkok United in their AFC Champions League (ACL) Two Group G opener on Thursday, face a quick turnaround as they head to Sarawak to take on Kuching City at the Sarawak Stadium tomorrow.
“We don’t have enough players to rotate,” admitted Kinoshi.
“I had already used those who didn’t play the full 90 minutes in the last match, but it’s impossible to keep doing that with the fixtures coming up.
“I can’t fully rotate the squad. So some players will have to play the full match again. It’s tough to decide who starts.”
The Red Giants trailed early on against Bangkok United at the Petaling Jaya Stadium, with the visitors taking a two-goal lead within 15 minutes, but Chrigor Moraes managed to get the hosts on the score sheet.
However, Bangkok’s Ilias Alhaft made it three for his side right after that, and Selangor got another blow when Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar was sent off before half-time.
Despite Alif Izwan Yuslan scoring the team’s second goal, it didn’t stop Bangkok from taking the three points as they sealed the win thanks to Philipe Maia’s late header in the 84th minute.
Kinoshi added that the loss was also self-inflicted, as tactical mistakes saw them giving Bangkok the chance to score goals without much challenge.
“We made mistakes that proved costly for us; these were tactical mistakes that should not have happened.
“We need to identify these and make the right changes for the upcoming matches,” he said.
Also competing in the Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup, where they play Singapore’s Tampines Rovers on Wednesday in Petaling Jaya, Kinoshi admitted the tight schedule has not helped keep his players at optimum performance.
“After playing Kuching, we fly back the next day for training, then it’s time to face the Tampines Rovers,” he said.
“It’s a heavy schedule, but we have to adapt with around 23 players right now,” he said.
