PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya City will unleash their Brazilian twin towers – Pedro Henrique and Giancarlo Rodrigues – in the Super League.
Rodrigues is 1.95m tall while his strike partner Henrique is 1.88m – both are the tallest strike pair in the new top-flight season which starts on Friday.
Besides their heights, PJ City’s coach K. Devan believed they also had other attributes to be top strikers in the M-League.
“Their heights are a massive plus for our attacks especially in set-piece situations but they also come with good technique and strong scoring track record,” said Devan.
“They’ve been training for a week now and the Super League will begin soon.
“Adapting in a short period is the hardest thing to achieve.
“The newcomers need to understand their teammates’ qualities and capabilities ... they also need to understand the league.
“We have a tough task but I’m confident we will get better as we progress.”
The team previously known as the Malaysian Indian Football Association (MIFA) finished third in the Premier League last season but were promoted to the Super League following the withdrawal of runners-up Felcra due to financial issues.
The club have retained several players from the previous squad including skipper and former international S. Subramaniam, imports – midfielder Bae Beom-geun of South Korea and Brazilian defender Elizue Batista. They also have bolstered the defence with Joshua Grommen of the Philippines.
Devan added that he was in the midst of getting the tactics right against Melaka at the Hang Jebat Stadium on Saturday.
“I think our defence and midfield are in good shape. They are capable of playing and fighting well when we don’t have possession, but we need to be more effective when we have the ball,” said the 57-year-old coach.
“Our midfielders also need to deliver the ball to our strikers, and we need to be better during defensive set-pieces.”
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2019/01/30/pj-city-counting-on-brazilians-to-deliver-the-goods/#CPUPJTm1aXcPII8G.99