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KUALA LUMPUR − Football fans may be baffled by Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale’s 5-0 thrashing of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in their Group I match of the AFC Champions League (ACL) on Sunday.
This is surely due to the fact that just three days earlier, the Southern Tigers had held Kawasaki Frontale in their group match at Stadium Sultan Ibrahim in Iskandar Puteri.
However, several factors have been cited for JDT’s defeat, including the squad rotation adopted by chief coach Benjamin Mora, which led to five key players, including sensational striker Bergson da Silva, being rested.
Apart from the absence of Bergson, who has scored four goals in the tournament, the resting of midfielders Leandro Velazquez and Ignacio Insa Bohigues and the reshuffle in defence had also made it difficult for JDT to play well.
“Squad rotation is normally done by a coach, who feels there are signs of fatigue among his players due to a tight match schedule,” said experienced coach Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah when contacted by Bernama.
“I have experienced managing a team in the domestic league and at the same time preparing for the AFC championship − just like what Benjamin (Mora) is going through now. The aim (of rotation) is solely to give the players enough rest so that they would be fresher for the next match,” he said.
He said every coach is aware of the risks associated with the rotation system and its negative impact was apparent when JDT sorely missed the services of several key players and succumbed to a heavy defeat.
Azraai, who guided Kedah to victory in the Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup in 2007 and 2008, said a team needed to have many players of the same standard to ensure that the rotation system would not backfire.
In the case of JDT, Azraai observed that several players fielded by Mora on Sunday failed to match the level of players whom they replaced.
“That’s why in the first match, JDT were very impressive. In midfield, Kawasaki Frontale could not do anything because Leandro and several others dominated − compared to (Sunday) when Kawasaki Frontale easily made penetration runs and passes,” Azraai said.
In the match at Stadium Sultan Ibrahim, Kawasaki Frontale − the Japan League defending champions − led 3-0 at half-time through the opening goal by Yasuto Wakizaka in the 14th minute and a brace by Yu Kobayashi in the 31st and 43rd minutes.
The squad managed by Toru Oniki sealed their victory with goals by Marcinho in the 81st minute and Chanathip Songkrasin in the 88th minute to lead the group with eight points.
Despite the loss, JDT are still on track to qualify for the knockout round as they are second in the group with seven points − the same as South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai FC, who are third − and China’s Guangzhou FC, who are last without any points.
The eight-time Super League champions will play Guangzhou tomorrow and Ulsan Hyundai on Saturday to wrap up their group campaign. Both matches will be played at Stadium Sultan Ibrahim.
“For sure, he (Mora) will get a fresher squad for the remaining two matches,” he said. – Bernama, April 26, 2022
