SEA GAMES 2011: PRESSURE ON TAE HOON TO DELIVER THE RIGHT FORMULA

JAKARTA (4 Nov 2011) – Whatever the apprehension or the misgivings, there is no doubt that as far as the Cambodian equation is concerned, the onus is on national chief coach Lee Tae Hoon to deliver the right formula.

Cambodia could not have asked for a worst position to be in than to be placed in the exceptionally tight Group A of the men’s football event against 13-times champions Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and hosts Indonesia.

And they certainly could not have asked for an even tougher start than to take on Indonesia in the opener on Monday in front of an expectant crowd at the Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno.

“It is a very tough group. It makes it that much harder. It is a huge challenge,” lamented Tae Hoon of the encounter which is expected to be held in front of a sell-out crowd.

Tae Hoon has been in charge of the Cambodian national team since the start of the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers last year. And while he has managed to mould the players from the Metfone Cambodian League into a decent side, still they are missing that final few pieces which could make them more competitive in the region.

They lost a place in the AFF Suzuki Cup final rounds to the Philippines in 2010 while this year, they fell to ASEAN neighbour Laos in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

And at this year’s BIDC Cup, the hosts failed to defend the crown they won last year as they then conceded a close 1-0 loss to the Nepal national team in their final tune –up game the previous week – putting further pressure on the squad and also Tae Hoon ahead of their SEA Games campaign.
“We need to do a whole lot better than this,” said Tae Hoon (pix).

“What bothers me the most is that we play well up to a point and then crack, unable to sustain the good work I have seen this happen many times and the recent BIDC Cup was an example, especially against Myanmar and Thailand.”

SEA GAMES FIXTURES

GROUP A