KL out to get back on track after far from impressive start to season
PETALING JAYA: It has not been the best of starts for Kuala Lumpur with one draw and a big defeat so far. And coach Miroslav Kuljanac is now demanding that his charges reduce their mistakes when the domestic season resumes today.

The City Boys will take on Kuching City in an FA Cup round-of-16 match at the Cheras Football Stadium on Friday, with the hope of going for another final.

Last year, KL, then led by the charismatic Bojan Hodak, were beaten in the final by Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Incidentally, the Klang Valley club have already faced both Kuching and JDT this season.

They were held 1-1 by the plucky Cats in the Super League and then were thumped 1-5 by JDT, with both matches also in Cheras. Kuljanac realises his side have not been at their best and does not want them to repeat the mistakes they made when they faced Kuching the first time.

“I felt we should have smarter decisions on the field,” he said.

“Kuching are formidable opponents, so the game will be tough. We have to fix some of our tactics and also look to rectify some individual mistakes.

“Still, the chemistry and harmony among the players are getting better. We will work harder to ensure we get better results. The aim is to get to the FA Cup quarter-finals.”

Kuljanac is also worried about his players returning from international duty.

“We have some injuries, especially in defence. Kamal (Azizi Zabri) is still recovering from a wrist injury and then we will have the international boys returning,” said the Croatian.

“I have to assess their condition first as we have seven men, six playing for Malaysia and one for the Philippines, who are away for the World Cup qualifiers.”

The players on international duty are goalkeeper Azri Ghani, Paulo Josue, Haqimi Azim Rosli, Zhafri Yahya, Brendan Gan and Declan Lambert (Malaysia) and Patrick Reichelt (The Philippines).
Football,FA Cup,Kuala Lumpur,Kuching City,Miroslav Kuljanac
PETALING JAYA: It has not been the best of starts for Kuala Lumpur with one draw and a big defeat so far. And coach Miroslav Kuljanac is now demanding that his charges reduce their mistakes when the domestic season resumes today.