Satiananthan rues Selangor's wastefulness, explains Ifedayo's last-minute absence

BetOdds Selangor v Melaka United Selangor Super League Malaysia

Selangor's new signing Ifedayo Olusegun was missing from their match against Melaka, despite having initially been listed as a substitution.

BY Â Â Â Â ZULHILMI ZAINAL Â Â Â Follow onÂ Twitter

Selangor could only record a 1-1 draw at home against Melaka United on Saturday, in their matchday 12 Super League encounter, despite dominating processions.

Although the Red Giants had numerous chances to retake the lead after Patrick Reichalt's 60th minute goal cancelled out Syahmi Safari's 31st minute opener, they simply couldn't hit the target.

Selangor vs Melaka match highlights

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Selangor boss B. Satiananthan rued his team's lack of finishing in the encounter.

"My boys failed to make their chances count despite controlling the game and having multiple chances to score. The finishing wasn't there. And after we found the opening goal, we started slowing down and losing concentration. Melaka only had two chances while we had many, many chances.

"Syahmi and Sandro [da Silva] can't be relied upon to score regularly. We need a proper striker who'll be there in the box," he noted.

He is relieved that mid-season signing Ifedayo Olusegun has arrived, although he was not available for Saturday's match.

The forward, who played for him at Felda United in the 2017 season, had initially been listed as a substitution in the match after his signing was announced earlier in the day, but was later absent altogether.

"Ifedayo can do more than just score goals; he understands our combination play so he can feed his teammates and hold the ball.Â

"We should have received his ITC (international transfer certificate) the night before, but despite our officials' best efforts and them working through the night, we only received it 40 minutes before the game. Unfortunately, MFL (competitions organiser Malaysian Football League) rules state that new signings can only play in a match if their ITC arrives one and a half hour before kick-off. In the end, we were advised against fielding him.

"I hope this particular rule would be amended in the future. It's not as if the transfer was made improperly," explained the former Malaysia head coach.

But while the Nigerian should be available for their coming matches, Satiananthan cautioned against putting undue pressure on the striker and overrelying on him.

"Let's not put pressure on him. The team must learn to work together. Take the example of Nama (right back Namathevan Arunasalam); he hadn't played at all this season, but he started today's match and played well. We must not be overreliant on any specific player.

"And new players must be allowed time to hit their stride. Ifedayo's played for me before, so when he telephoned me saying he was interested in joining Selangor, I took the chance because I know he has quality," he pointed out.

Follow Goal Malaysia's Instagram account to see photos and watch videos from Malaysian football!

Last week Goal followed @faselangormy star @wanzackhaikalwannor's ACL rehabilitation progress. We also talked to him about the specifics of his injury, mental strength, and the work he has to put in to return to playing. Expect the interview to be published some time later this week!

A post shared by Goal Malaysia (@goal_malaysia) on May 2, 2019 at 1:07am PDT

2019-05-05 10:00:05

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