PETALING JAYA: The standards at Johor Darul Ta’zim are so high that even a routine win can still draw criticism from the coach.
The defending Super League champions claimed their fourth league win of the season, beating Brunei 3-0 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Friday.
Naturalised Brazilian striker Bergson da Silva struck twice in the 36th and 39th minutes before Spanish winger Juan Diego Molina or better known as Stoichkov wrapped up the scoring in the 89th minute.
The victory came three days after JDT beat Universiti Malaya (UM)-Damansara 4-1 in the first leg of their FA Cup round-of-16 tie – a result that still irked coach Xisco Munoz, who was unhappy his side had conceded a goal.
Against a Brunei side set up in a deep, disciplined low block, Munoz said patience was the biggest challenge.
“It was a tough game. They were well organised in defence, and it was difficult to break them down before the first goal. When you play against 10 players behind the ball in tight spaces, you rely on individual decisions, whether in the lateral channels or central areas, or shots from distance,” he said.
“They defended their low block well, moved compactly, and maintained good distance between players. Even so, the most important thing is that we won 3-0.
‘’However, we still need to improve in the final third and be more aggressive when attacking down the flanks.”
The Spaniard was less forgiving when reflecting on JDT’s recent defensive lapses, insisting standards cannot slip regardless of the scoreline.
“I was very, very angry about conceding recently because it stemmed from a relaxed mentality. We can’t accept that. Whether you are playing in a cup or the league, or winning 5-0, 8-0 or 12-0, you must maintain the exact same behaviour and commitment to the team,” he said.
“Everyone makes mistakes, but we cannot repeat the same ones.”
For Brunei, assistant coach Helme Panjang struck a philosophical tone despite the heavy defeat, praising his side’s overall progress while admitting ball retention let them down.
“Our main shortfall was ball retention. The team needed to keep possession for longer stretches to transition forward and build opportunities to create scoring chances,” he said.
