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Arul Selvaraj backs injured players’ voices, chooses to play smart over taking risks | Scoop
National men’s hockey head coach Arul Selvaraj (pic) has backed up Fitri Saari and Nik Aiman who voiced their dissatisfaction on their game time during a friendly tour in New Zealand last week, but clarified that they were still recovering from injuries so he did not want to take risks. – Bernama pic, December 24, 2023
Sports

Arul Selvaraj backs injured players’ voices, chooses to play smart over taking risks

Speedy Tigers’ head coach says he needs to be careful with how he use charges amid upcoming Olympic qualifiers

Main Author Image
Sandru Narayanan
Updated
4:00 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – National men’s hockey head coach Arul Selvaraj has no issues with his players giving statements on the lack of game time being given. 

His response comes after midfielders Fitri Saari and Nik Aiman openly said that they could have played longer despite their injuries in their friendly tour in New Zealand last week. 

Both players have just recovered from medial collateral ligament injuries and are currently being monitored by the team’s physiotherapist. 

Speaking to Scoop, Arul said that his players have all the right to voice their emotions, and he has never stopped any of his players from speaking the truth. 

“Both Fitri and Nik came into our friendly matches and tried to do too much, experiencing some pain that led to substitutions. 

“As much as any hockey player would love to go out with their guns blazing, I told both of them that, since they have just come back from injuries, they need to be smart and limit their risk of getting injured. That’s the reason why I limited their playing time. 

“I’m in a stage where I need to be very careful about how I use my players as we have Olympic qualifiers around the corner. 

“We also have players like Norsyafiq Sumantri, Zulpidaus Mizun, and several others just coming back from their injuries, and I need to make sure they are fit for the qualifiers,” said Arul. 

According to Arul, a total of eight to nine players have made a comeback from their injuries, and the head coach had to bring in eight players from the junior squad to join the camp as backup players for the qualifiers. 

During their recent New Zealand tour, Arul’s side recorded one win, one draw, and three defeats. 

Malaysia defeated the 10th-ranked South Korea 2-1 but lost three times to world No. 11 New Zealand (3-2, 2-0, 3-0).  

In their last match, they held the Kiwis to a 4-4 draw. 

Arul said he was satisfied with his team’s performance in their friendly matches and is hoping for the best in their upcoming Olympic qualifiers. 

“Overall, the team played well in our friendly matches. We trained with a small team, as injuries were a big concern. We did not have the full team with us in games. 

“We did our best against teams like New Zealand who used their main players in the matches that we played against them. 

“The energy in the team is currently good, and we hope to give our best in the qualifiers,” Arul added. 

Malaysia has not featured in the Olympics since Sydney in 2000.  

Malaysia finished sixth in the Asian Games and missed a direct Olympic qualification slot after their 5-2 defeat to Pakistan.  

Malaysia’s only hope now is the qualifiers, scheduled to take place from January 15 to 21 in Oman.  

Coach Arul’s charges are grouped together with Great Britain, Pakistan, and China in Pool A.  

The Speedy Tigers are currently ranked 12th in the world rankings with 1881.87 points. – December 24, 2023 

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