National legend Khalid Ali said that as a striker, the Brazillian-born player needs to understand his role and not be overly reliant on his physical advantage.

He questioned de Paula’s importance to the squad after he was named as one of the 23 players in the Harimau Malaya squad for the 2023 Asia Cup qualifiers next week.

“He doesn’t understand his role as a top striker, maybe that’s why his game is inconsistent and he also isn’t good at passing and controlling the ball.

“He is only good at one-touch football. That’s the only advantage he has, besides his large and tall physique,” Khalid said.

The former Selangor player thinks others in the team, including Safiq Rahim and Safawi Rasid, are likely to be more effective as strikers if this is de Paula’s best.

Khalid agrees that there is still a lack of understanding between the players, and feels head coach Kim Pan-gon has a lot to work on, especially in defence, to ensure Harimau Malaya do well in the qualifiers.

“During the match against Hong Kong, (our) defending (was) very poor, Hong Kong’s strikers weren’t that good but our defence was in disarray. Hong Kong’s ranking is lower but we struggled against them, not a good sign ahead of the Asian Cup qualifiers,” he added.

Malaysia beat Brunei 4-0 and Hong Kong 2-0 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced the 23-man squad for the Asian Cup qualifiers yesterday.

Drawn in Group E, Malaysia will face Turkmenistan this Wednesday, followed by Bahrain on June 11 before wrapping things up against Bangladesh on June 14.