Coach Nafuzi counting on attacking trident to spur TFC to glory

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 -- Terengganu FC (TFC) head coach Nafuzi Zain is confident that his attacking trident will give them an added advantage as they seek to do better in the coming Super League season.

Having brought in hitmen Tchetche Kipre (Ivory Coast) and Kpah Sherman (Liberia) as well as retaining Ghanaian hotshot Jordan Mintah, Nafuzi is expecting the goals to flow for the Turtles as they seek to improve on their fourth position last season.

He said the three strikers had different qualities and would provide healthy competition for a starting spot in attack.

“What I am sure of is that I want every player, irrespective of whether they are newcomers or old-timers, to work together to give their best and develop a good understanding on and off the pitch ahead of this season’s Super League campaign.

“As for the competition among them, I want to stress that we have a long season ahead, so anything can happen and I am excited that I will always have players of calibre ready to be fielded and the fact that I have a wider pool of selection this time,” he said in a statement issued by the Malaysian Football League (MFL).

Elaborating, he said the coaches would evaluate the players in terms of needs and style of play while ensuring that players would be fielded based on current form.

The 44-year-old coach also said that he had learned the lessons from last season when the Turtles began consistently early in the season before struggling towards the end to finish in fourth spot.

As such, he intends to keep his players focused on performing consistently throughout the season this time.

“As for our target, I just want the team to do better than last season… that’s all,” he said. 

Apart from Sherman dan Kipre, TFC also signed up three more import players, namely defenders Pape Diakite (Senegal) and Luke Woodland (Philippines) as well as former Melaka United midfielder Manuel Ott (Philippines).

-- BERNAMA