I am all for a fiesty, fast paced midfield that can control a game. That's my personal favourite section of a team. Call me 'traditional', but nothing beats watching a team with a strong midfield plying up and down the pitch, turning every dangers into viable opportunities. Nothing is more pleasing to the eyes than seeing the wingers weave through the opposing teams midfield and defence, tearing them apart and putting the ball nicely for strikers to slot it into the net. It's basic stuff, but not every team can do it well. Hence, the new line-up at the central of "Bishan's park" - very promising stuff :)
The club has introduced an all-new batch of talents to spice up proceedings in the middle of the park for the 2007 season.
Home United’s first foreigner is certainly most eye-catching, as Ivorian Kone Hamed brings with him pace, physique and panache to the squad, where his heroics for invited Thai team Chonburi FC last year brought them all the way to the Singapore Cup final. Let’s just not place him on the same pedestal as the previous incumbent of the left wing, Sutee Suksomkit, whose dejected reaction in the Asean Football final said volumes. While he has decamped to Tampines, Home fans are eagerly looking forward to seeing Kone in action. He had a goal to his name already; albeit from last Saturday’s friendly against Albirex Niigata. Admittedly the players are still slightly ring-rusty and adjusting to their paces, but his strength on the ball and his skills would do huge favours to the team.
Rosman Sulaiman and Arif (Kamarulariffin Karim), meanwhile, are the two vital cogs in the midfield engine room if needed. Both of them have excelled in recent years playing all over the place, as they slowly found their niche in defence. However, as Rosman proved on numerous occasions last year, his tenacity to stem the tide, ball winning skills, plus a ferocious tackle to ward off opponents, is indeed vital. For Arif, it should not be asking too much adjusting back to his old surroundings, and if he does it well, Home would benefit.
Next up, the two new signings that are about to be mentioned would certainly cause excitement. Shahril Ishak and Shi Jia Yi, two members of the victorious Asean Championship winning squad, make their entrance into Bishan with almost nothing left to prove. Having been the pillars of the previous Young Lions’ squads and the 2004 Tiger Cup success with the national team, the duo would not be too hard pressed to make an impression. Shahril Ishak leaves the Young Lions after four years, and if he is able to reproduce all his skills, on top of all those raking passes and magnificent through balls, Home would be in for a treat. Shi Jia Yi, a naturalized China-born Singaporean, joins his teammate at Bishan, with almost the same expected of him, as an attacking midfielder. While Shahril Ishak can hold his forte in a free role, Jia Yi tends to drift slightly leftwards. In tandem with youth players like Hanafi Zain and Syaqir Sulaiman, they should keep the engine room pumping.
In the final part of the season preview next week, the main men up front – the strikers, would come under scrutiny. Watch this space.
