National head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has been offered a new two-year deal that will keep him as the country’s football head honcho until 2020.
Tan inked the two-year deal on Jan 8, and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) gave the Kedah-born the mission of qualifying for the 2023 Asian Cup.
So, is the bespectacled coach the right man to take Malaysian football forward? I think so, and here’s why.
The right qualities
Having served as assistant to K Rajagobal and later , Nelo Vingada, Tan knows how to make the national team tick. He needed more experience with Raja from 2009-2013, but deserved a crack at the hot seat when Malaysia were seeking a head coach in 2017.
The role was ultimately given to Vingada, which proved to be a disaster after the Portuguese failed to win a single match in his short-lived stint. When Vingada exited, Tan already had the qualification, experience and enough success under his belt to take the reins.
The soft-spoken coach is one of the few coaches, if not the only one in the country, to possess a FIFPro licence, which is the highest qualification for a coach. But it is not his paper qualification which stands out; rather his success with the team in a short span of time.
He subscribes to a brand of football built for success
It is safe to say that Tan instills a football philosophy like no other coach in the country. Play out from the back, pass, pass, pass, pass, and then pass some more until you find a team-mate in a goalscoring position.
Gone are the days of playing the long hopeful ball and praying it finds a team-mate in the penalty box. In short, Malaysia has a new way of playing football which every football fan can resonate with. And he has done it with success too, winning the Premier League and Malaysia Cup with Kedah while playing beautiful, Barcelona-esque football.
But can he replicate that same style with the national team, with players he doesn’t see on a frequent basis? Tan came extremely close to winning the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup despite only having his players for a short period, by playing good football and despite being bereft of some quality players. So he can make this work.
He gets on with job and has time on his side
Tan did not immediately have the luxury of getting the players he wanted when he first landed the head coach role. But he did not make excuses or complain, he just got on with the job. This is one of the reasons why Tan is held in high regard.
Unassuming, reserved in nature, he lets his management and football do the talking. Now he has been given the task by FAM to once again reach the final of the AFF Cup in 2020, and qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup. That means he has a minimum of two years to impose his brand of football, identify the players he needs to get the job done, and test his team with a variety of opponents.
The national body has promised to find more challenging opponents for friendly matches, and to beef up the squad with heritage and naturalised players. That should only help Tan’s cause. In two years, we will see a better national football team. Trust me.
Nicolas Anil is a sports journalist who has worked with ESPN FC and FOX Sports Asia.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.