Fighting with own weapons

PSM Makassar's intention to loan a few players to better themselves for the Asian Champions Cup quarterfinals has to be thrown away. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has strictly prohibited any team from hiring players just for the event.

Furthermore, the Confederation also prohibits any team to register four foreign players. In Indonesian League, each team is allowed to have up to four foreign players, although only three are allowed to play in a game.

PSM themselves have actually approached to loan midfielders Edward 'Edu' Ivakdalam of Persipura Jayapura, Imran Nahumarury of Persija Jakarta, and defender Olinga 'Kopa' Atangana of Persita Tangerang. They have even reached agreements with Edu and Kopa.

PSM's general manager, Kadir Halid, said, "The negotiations with the players and their respective clubs are through, but we had to cancel them because of AFC rules."

PSM wanted Edu and Imran to strengthen their midfield after Uston Nawawi, perhaps the league's most highly-rated local midfielder, returned to his old club, Persebaya Surabaya. Their Brazilian playmaker, Carlos de Mello, and national team regular, Bima Sakti, would be the keys in their midfield, but they will need more supports from other players.

But what about Yuniarto Budi? Hasn't he been playing well for the team? Well, the coaches said that Yuniarto is not suitable in physical matches because of his small figure. And none of the players on the bench appears to be up to the task.

To get around this problem, head coach Syamsuddin Umar has been preparing some other alternatives to their standard 3-5-2. These new tactics have been tried several times in their pre-season friendlies in Java, and they were proven to be effective. The team was unbeatable.

But everyone knows, Jubilo Iwata, Suwon Samsung, and Shamdong Luneng are not like those teams they played against during the pre-season. That's why the coaches are hard at work to prepare the players, both physically and mentally.

"In many occasions, our players already lost their nerves even before the match started because they were facing this 'big' team. This is one side of mental strength that the coaches have to pay close attention to," said Carlos.

So then, PSM Makassar, tighten the defense, and sharpen that offense. Who cares if you have to fight with your own, limited weapons. Who cares if the enemies are big and highly-rated. Build up your confidence, let go of that fear, play to your heart content, and know that the whole nation is behind you!

from: BolaNews Sportsline