The Silverfox Hustle Podcast
The Silverfox Hustle Podcast
Football Talk SPL Preview - Young Lions FC - Head Coach, Nazri Nasir & Team Captain, Farhan Zulkifli
The 2024/25 Singapore Premier League season preview with Young Lions FC.
Head Coach of the Young Lions, Nazri Nasir and Team Captain, Farhan Zulkifli, join me as they hope to bounce back from a poor season in 2023.
They try to make sense of the problems they faced last year - resulting in only 1 win all season. We discuss the areas where they have strengthened this term and also the battle to showcase consistent performances over the course of the season. Nazri reveals how the team doubles as a springboard for national squad aspirations and a crucible for honing raw talent.
The Young Lions have bolstered their squad with new foreign talents and Farhan has promised a new team with a new approach to their play this season.
Lets Go!
Hello and welcome to the Silver Fox Hustle podcast, the football talk episodes and, as you know, we are doing the SPL preview for the year 2024-25. It's going to be a long season and we are already at the tail end of the previews for the SPL. And today in the house, or in the studios, I must say, is the Young Lions, the head coach of the Young Lions, mr Nazri Naseh, and of course, the team captain, farhan Zulkifli. Welcome to the podcast, my friends.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for inviting me, nazri, how have you been? I'm good. You seem so very relaxed when you came into the studios, and are you going to be relaxed through the season?
Speaker 2:I hope so. I hope so. Oh, Are you going to be relaxed through the season? I hope so. Oh, I don't know yet. Let us see.
Speaker 1:How about you, Farhan? How has it been? How's been generally the pre-season been with you.
Speaker 3:I think the pre-season has been very good in terms of football. I think training has been tough. Training has been this high-intensity training you know.
Speaker 1:Under Nazri must be high intensity, come on.
Speaker 3:So I think we are prepared to go into the new season with the new new players. Nice.
Speaker 1:I want to ask you, farhad, are you serving your national service?
Speaker 3:now or yes? I'm currently serving my NS in public transport security command as a trainer. So it's office hours trainer. Yeah, I train those who fail their IPP.
Speaker 1:Ah nice, nice. And how is it like in terms of schedule? So you're okay to join training every day and stuff like that?
Speaker 3:I attend training. Every single day I'm able to attend training.
Speaker 1:So it's office hours, so it's from 8.30 to 6pm, so after that I will slowly make my way to training brilliant now, nas, you know I think I spoke to all the other clubs as well and we usually do a little review of last season. You know what happened and all, and if we look at last season, obviously it wasn't the best you know for the Young Lions. Now I'm just going to read out a little bit of stats. And you guys finished 9th, scored 24 goals, only conceded 76 goals and that's massive actually. And through the season you guys won 1, drew 2 and lost 21. Now how would you sum up last season, nas?
Speaker 2:Okay, I mean before I start, when I took the team. Basically it's always it's almost half the season. Okay, I think maybe the last stretch of the season.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, yep, the result is not to our favour. Okay, the thing is that you know these boys, I think we have a game on the weekend. We have a game and then the same players basically also playing in this under 21 league right so it's a challenge. You know years last year it's not easy with the players you know have to struggle both knowing that the players we had last year when I took the team we only have about less than 30 players okay okay, or even less than 20 players certain games.
Speaker 2:So it's tough. But again, as I said, look at the positive side. You know as much as a coach as me as a coach. You know I want them to give their best in every game. Okay again, when I took the team so we didn't win any game, even the draw right. I'm sure that you know, because you, you were told to, to what's that so called?
Speaker 1:commentary in the game.
Speaker 2:So again yep, it's a tough season, and then okay, whatever happened, we learn from there. Yeah, okay, and then we just look forward for this new season.
Speaker 1:You know, I think you spoke about the problems. I wanted to ask you about the problems, but you know these were like the administrative problems. You know we talk about players, the lack of numbers, playing the under-21s, playing the SPL as well. Now let's focus on the football part. Right In terms of the football bit, right. What problems did you face, tactically or whatever, playing against the other teams?
Speaker 2:I mean I won't say that. Okay, maybe one reason because our players, you see inexperienced Right, okay, coming to the game, basically most of the boys are just maybe first year in the league, so it'd be difficult. And then of course, on top of that, if you look at it, we have only two foreigners in the team. Then it's always been difficult during the game. So of course, again, we try our best, again, we try to push, I try to plan the game plan. Again. What I see is certain games we just lost concentration, we conceded goals easily. So that's really frustrating part on our side. But, as I said, the credit I have to give to the boys that they fight until the end of the season what was it like for you, zul Farhan?
Speaker 1:sorry, zul Farhan. What was it like for you last season?
Speaker 3:I mean it was more to like juggling to the new because I enlisted in January last year, right. So I entered Young Lions in the middle of season, okay, and I recently was posted out to my unit and it was more to juggling both national service and also football, right. So it was more to adaptation period where I feel it's, I can say, a bit challenging to juggle both, you know, national service and football at the same time, but still we have to do what we do. Footballer, I think in terms of performances, personally, for me, individual performance, I think I can do a lot better, I can be more consistent, but then again, the juggling, the adaptation period was a bit challenging for me to and it, the juggling, the adaptation period, was a bit challenging for me to and it contributed to my individual performance.
Speaker 1:Nas, I think you spoke about it and I think you just spoke about it as well the consistent part. You know, obviously, with a young team it's never going to be consistent. You know they're always going to make mistakes. They're always going to make, you know, mistakes in one game, they'll play very well in the other game and then so it's up and down with the youngsters. And I think, farhan, you spoke about this as well. The consistency, right. But if you look at the season of 24 games, even with the young side and all, were you disappointed, having only won one throughout the season I'm talking about the season do you think that you could have maybe, maybe, gotten four, five wins? You think Das?
Speaker 2:I think, just to recap back also, the one, I mean the team, I mean the game that we won is not under me, it's under Philip. For me, as a coach, we want to get a result. I want to target myself to get at least one win, or two win, or even a draw. Okay, this is every coach admission, every coach goal. But again, as I said, we tried, you know, we tried our best, we tried to do. We have game plan for every games. You know, for me it's personally, I disappointed myself as a coach that this is not my favour.
Speaker 2:And then they look at the table. They will ask, they will say that, okay, who's the coach? The coach is.
Speaker 1:It's always the case. Right, it's always the case.
Speaker 2:It's always the case that the coach has to be played. But fair enough, I'm looking at the bright side. I'm very positive. You know, as a coach I keep on encouraging players pushing the and I believe that.
Speaker 1:I mean, if they do their best, I'm sure the result will come. Before we move on for the season this season and talking about you know the season itself I just want to ask this very question, and I think coaches can learn from this as well. You talk about teams that lose games. You know finishing last, whatever, whatever it can be. You know morale is low with the team and all in the dressing room after a game losing games right. After three, four games losing in a row or whatever it may be not winning games, right. How do you pick these guys up? And these are young players, right? And it's so difficult, isn't it? So how do you do this, nas?
Speaker 2:Oh, I mean tough question, but I think what I can do is basically I try to tell the players that the best do their best. I mean, do their best means that play to their best. We have to play, Don't do any extra things. You know good play. What are you good at? Okay?
Speaker 2:Keep it simple Keep it simple yeah, you know, and then, of course, in a way that I try to so-called keep on urging and give them a good, so-called example or good games that they played. Well, okay, uh, and also, again, I won't totally like um, uh, so-called being named down. I just push them and then try to push them as much as I can, and you know it's, it's tough, but again, uh, I in other ways, another way is I encourage them, like telling them that you know, with the good performance, they can be called up after the ORD, they can go to the club, or even you can get offer from other clubs or even for the national team.
Speaker 2:So I'm looking at it that way, and then it's more on the individual, kind of encouragement I mean as a team, we fail, but as an individual, as a player, you have improved and you have shown something. I mean as a team, we feel, but as an individual, as a player, you have improved and you have shown something, your quality that players after ORD, after finishing with YL, they go to the club. They got offered with better contract. You know with the. You know, because I believe, that when we are with YL they have more playing time compared to go to the club. So with this, two years in the league, you know experience well. Basically they can improve there and bring their time up to the next level.
Speaker 1:Nas, I think you are spot on about something right, because these players Farhan, you are included as well you are in the shopping window, you are playing yeah, it's a team game. You are playing for the Young Lions, but you yourself, as individuals, you are actually selling yourself to the clubs, selling yourself to whatever the national team coach as well. So you need to put on a good performance individually first, and then the team comes in as well. And you are spot on, farhan. You are the team captain this season, by the way. Why did you choose him role model?
Speaker 2:yep, he shows good role model. Yep, he shows good role model on and off the field. I think players also listen to him. I think I experienced it when we went to the EFF. Efc yeah, he's with Adam and then. But he's mean with us longer than Adam. So basically I look at it and then players look up at him. So you know just, I think it's important that you just live by the example is there pressure on you now, farhan?
Speaker 3:I think it's a good pressure for me. You know like, as a captain, you want to show a good example to the players and it's it's a good pressure in a way. I push myself every single training yeah I set a good example right uh on and off the field. Yeah, no, it's, it's not just uh on the field. You know, I think of the field is so, so important that you build uh bond together as a team as players, you know, you understand each other more I think, uh, all the, all the small little details, all the small little things off the field makes a big difference in a way of the team perform.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you you.
Speaker 1:You're very right, you know, I think little things off the field makes a big difference in the way the team performs. You're very right, I think, off the field as well. I think this is so, so important. As a captain, you can ask your coach beside you. He's been a captain for a very long time in the national side for SFFC. When you were there as well, we were there as well for one year, I think. And, yeah, you know, if you want a role model, and that's it beside you, right? I think that's a perfect example as well. We move forward. Forget about last season. It's done and dusted. I think that's the only way to go forward. Right, forget about that, and then we go forward. Now we talked a little bit about of concern for you. You want to strengthen which areas so that you can move forward this season.
Speaker 2:I think the most important is the depth.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because, as you know, we're playing the same place, basically playing in the SPL, yep and also the Under-20 League. I think the depth is very important. That's where we're facing last year, because of you know not enough depth.
Speaker 1:As I said, when you say depth, it's not in terms of quantity, right, it's also the quality as well. Even on the bench, you need that quality.
Speaker 2:Not only you can have 100 players right, right, right Of course, that is the most important thing, Right, the quality of the players. As I said, I look at the players not only on the field. Basically, basically, you must show your talent that's the reason why you're on the team and then, of course, of the field, basically your character. Show that to the team and also for as an individual. So I think this season, I think we have registered, I think, about 36 players Okay.
Speaker 2:And then we have, you know, you know, young Lions is very unique.
Speaker 2:Yep, it's come, coming and out yes now you can see Farhan with me, but by November he will go back to his club. It's difficult to plan, isn't it? Yeah, it's very difficult again you can when you talk about National Service boys the time that you know they have to go back to their camp or they going to at least National Series. So it's always been a difficult, but again, it's also good chance for the rest of the players you know to come in and step up, you know, and, of course, give me more option. It's a good headache, it's a very good headache defensively.
Speaker 1:Are you really looking at that as well? Because obviously right, really looking at that as well? Because obviously right.
Speaker 2:You considered 76 goals or something, I think. If you look at the squad right now, I think we have some experienced players, local players like Ryan Sunizal is there on board, correct? We have Kieran, who is basically still around to play with us for I hope before he's going to NS, then Akhil Basically last year With us, with me At the AFC. So plus we have Two local, two foreigners.
Speaker 3:June.
Speaker 2:Basically, it's the last season With the team and Russia is the new signing. I think With these, these two players, basically it's very important For us to Stabilize the Defense.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice. Farhan, I want to talk to you About this right. Who do you think in the team will have to step up this season? I'm talking about the local players. Forget about the foreign players. For one right, who do you think will need to step up in terms of the local boys?
Speaker 3:I think all the local players will play a crucial part in the long season.
Speaker 3:As it is a long season. I crucial part in the long season. As it is a long season, I feel every player is as important as another. So I feel the local players have to really step up in order for us to reach the next level, to reach the highest potential and, you know, to do well together as a team. So I feel local players everyone, not just one in particular, so it's more to team effort, team, not just one in particular.
Speaker 1:So it's more to team effort, the team view, you're being very diplomatic in your answer there.
Speaker 3:Nazir.
Speaker 1:I will come to you for this one. I will come to you because I asked the other clubs as well, right? Who do you think will stand out or have a chance to stand out and be a breakout season for them? You know, I think there was one year when a player will stand out and then next season another player at least one or two will really impress and then maybe get a chance to play in the national team. Who do you think this year stands a good chance?
Speaker 2:I mean again, have to be very diplomatic also the answer. I mean, as I said, everybody is very important to the team. Everybody, when they come to the team, when they come to the field, they are chosen to start the game. Basically, they need to perform. I don't want to pick any particular players. This is their role, it's their job to perform well. Again, we you know, as you know this I mean two players we call up for national team, like Kieran and Kairos for this last.
Speaker 2:FIFA window. Then of course, they have I for Farhan he was with national team before and Nur Adam basically he's got a season place and he was with national team before when he went to LCS and now he's with WAL. Basically, these are a few players that need to stand out, that basically the national coach is so looking at them for this coming.
Speaker 1:FIFA window. Yeah, you said you didn't want to name. You named a few players. Well done, thank, that was beautiful. Nasri, people like Firoz and all I know. You know, I think it. You know sometimes, nas, and I feel it this way as well. Nas, right, it is always easier to get spotted and then get into into the national team, but to stay there it's a different problem, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean I even share with these things to the players To stay as long as you can in the national team is just the main one. And I remember one coach tell me, tell me that yes, you can call a call-up for national team for this season, or one year, or for one. Fifa window. But after you disappear you can get one cap and you disappear. But to stay as long as you can in the national team every year is a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice who was this smart coach?
Speaker 1:who was this smart coach?
Speaker 2:You say lah, you ask me as a smart coach.
Speaker 1:No, who was the coach that told you this, oh?
Speaker 2:It's. If I'm not wrong, it's Xia Polio. Ah, okay.
Speaker 1:And it is the truth, isn't it? Farhan? You got called up before, right. Do you agree that it's Easier to get spotted, but then to stay in the team Is different, is it? It's difficult, isn't it?
Speaker 3:You know, like I think in my position, in my situation, I've earned one cap, but it's quite challenging for me to stay regularly in the national team, so it's something that is my target.
Speaker 1:That is great, you know, I think that should be your target, and any one of the ones playing under Nas at Young Lions that should be your target anyway. You know, I think so. So just go for it. Like I said, you know, concentrate on your individual performances first, and then, you know, you take it from there. Let's talk about the foreign players. I think you spoke about a few just now. Right, there's Jun and Khan Kobayashi, you know, I think. Just a little bit about them. What was your report card about them, or for them, last season? Why are you laughing?
Speaker 2:I mean, I'll be honest in terms of performance wise, I think they basically have helped the team okay shows good performance, but there's also games that they didn't perform yeah and I totally understand because again they they also a bit frustrated because you know, you're right. The goals or the games that we lost is really positive for them. I understand, but I I always I keep on encouraging them that you know they need to keep they need to keep their state hub.
Speaker 2:They need to lead by example. So this season we continue. I mean we extend this contract and I believe that they have learned whatever last season, basically this season, season they will push better.
Speaker 1:You spoke about frustrations, right, and that's probably why you got them a couple of their friends in right, kaisei Ogawa and Inamoto Itsuki. Right Ogawa played last season for the Elbrecht. He plays out wide, correct? Yeah, on the left. Yes, I remember him. What a player, what a player. He can support the attack and defensively very good as well. How about Inamoto Itsuki? What position does he play and what does he bring to the young?
Speaker 2:Lions he's playing centre forward. Nice. As you know, last season he's a soft scorer how many goals? Let me check, let me check again 24, yeah, 24 so basically with his experience, yeah, I think he has been playing with the J2 nice you know, I'm sure that he played with a better teams or better players around, so I think, with this league. Basically, I hope that he can perform well and guide the younger players like Farhan that, kyrene or some of the players hopefully that they will give support.
Speaker 2:And I look at it the last two games, or the last he was around, and then the games that he played I can say he's a team player. He works together as a team and he plays very well with the locals and I thing he tried to speak English with them so far how?
Speaker 3:how has it been? I think his English is improving from the first day that he entered.
Speaker 1:He cannot even speak English now it's he can speak like maybe the simple words you've been teaching him bad words as well, right, no, no, no, just the words you know. Okay, fabrian Putra, from Indonesia. What does he bring to the young lions? Okay?
Speaker 2:he got. I mean he's basically we signed him. I mean he's from Tanjung Pagar last season. Okay, I know, we know that he's in the back. Maybe this present basically will help in terms of the team. Of course, he's still young, he still can play the Antunion League and then hopefully, with his you know, with his so-called experience with Tanjung Pagar, I hope that he will help the team also.
Speaker 1:Can I ask you about Rashid as well? He's an Australian and he plays at centre-back. Is he a central defender? It seems like you're really trying to strengthen the middle of defense, right, and I think that's good news. What kind of a player is he? Is he like a ball-playing defender? He's a very simple player. He's very strong.
Speaker 2:His dealing of the game is good.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:Again, he's very aggressive. And one thing about him he's very commanding. We need somebody to talk, Correct, To communicate with the players. So far he's been showing a lot of encouragement. He gives encouragement to the team and I think it's good for the team.
Speaker 1:Farhan, what can you pick up from all these foreign players that are playing in your side? I think it's very important that the players in your team, in the local players as well, you know and learn from these foreigners. So far, what have you picked up from them?
Speaker 3:I think, if I were to look at my position like attacking- attacking-wise I would look at Itsuki. Okay, he's a, it's a, I mean he's a centre forward, so he brings creativity in terms of attack, he can finish, he can receive, he can hit.
Speaker 3:So in terms of what I can learn from him is that as a team I think we can understand each other better, so in the field we will communicate easier in a way. So first of all, I have to know his strength because I'm a left winger, so in a way he brings a lot of attacking option to young Lions so do you actually see him during training and see his runs?
Speaker 1:how does he make his runs and how would you, you know, actually combine with him, right? I want to ask you this, and I think you are to answer this right. You seem to be playing sometimes as a defender as well, sometimes as a left back, left wing, back kind of role, right? Which one do you prefer, the more attacking one or the more defensive side? I think I prefer playing left winger.
Speaker 1:I like the attacking side more than the defensive side as you can see, sometimes I play in the middle like Cam centre attacking me, and sometimes on the left because, naz, I think correct me if I'm wrong I think I've seen him play in a more defensive role, right yeah, yeah, I think, if you look at it, when he was playing at Haogang he was playing more like a backpack yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:So you prefer a little bit more attacking, right? Of course you ask any player they would want to play as an attacking role, right? Naz? I want to ask you this, right? You know we talked about your team last season. You know losing games and whatever, right? What is the style of play this season? Are you going to change it a little bit? Are you going to play? You know, style of play can be different. Anything right Can be. Philosophy can be, formations can be anything right. So I just want to ask you is it going to be a little bit more defensive play on the counter attack, or is it just you just want to concentrate on how you want to play your game? It's a secret, is?
Speaker 2:it. I mean, let the football game I'm sure now games everybody can come down to the stadium and watch the games Right right, Of course we won't be so defensive, you know.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:We want two players to express themselves and you know we try to have both defending and opening. It depends on the opponent they're going to play.
Speaker 1:Okay, who's going to play? So?
Speaker 2:it's not saying that you know we're going to play very defensively. Okay, so it's simple. When you don't have ball, everybody's a defender, so you need to know that.
Speaker 1:Right, how has pre-season been in terms of matches, friendly matches. Did you go overseas guys? No, you were in Singapore all the way, yeah, so how has it been?
Speaker 2:I mean, you know, the interim.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, the five matches not bad, you guys did not bad I can say that it's very good.
Speaker 2:I mean not say very good, but very positive yeah we played five games. We drew one, lost one and won three. So it's very positive, I think, with that game so.
Speaker 2:I think basically the players know that they can do better, you're right, and so I think basically the players know that they can do better, and of course, this coming to the new season, I mean, I'm sure that there are a lot of things for them to show for this coming season and I believe that they can do much, much better for this coming season beautiful Farhan.
Speaker 1:Be brave now and tell us what can we expect from the Young Lions this season?
Speaker 3:in terms of what Young Lions can bring, I think you can see a completely different team than last season. We'll be more positive in a way. We approach games and in the interim pre-season also, we showed that we are capable of competing against teams like, you know, the Empanis, even though the result might not show. But I think in terms of performance, in terms of team performance, we are getting better. We, you know, it starts from training. At the end, at the end of the day, it starts from training. So if you train, train hard it, it brings to the game, you know. So we are pushing each other in terms of, you know, to the game. So we are pushing each other in terms of the squad depth. I feel it's a good, healthy competition for us to keep on striving, keep on pushing each other well said, farhan.
Speaker 1:I think I totally agree with what you just said in terms of you gotta do it during training and then only because no point, you relax during training and you will relax during a game as well. So perfect. Well done, farhan Nazri. Before we go right, what is? Is there an objective from you to the team, or has the team set out an objective at the beginning of the season? What is the objective for the young Lions this season?
Speaker 2:I think for me, to the players, I think that's how football do the talking Basically, you know, go down to the field and believe in themselves. And every game, take the, you know, every game, just give their best. I mean I don't want to put any targets or goals.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:For me, it's to see them perform well and to be called up for the National Team. I would think that is the biggest achievement for me is to see them perform well and to to be to be called up for National Team. I would think that is biggest achievement for me. Nice, very nice. That's what I want from them and I think, with that for closing, that we I want to see with a good performance, with good kind of football, I think more fans will come. Now, family is coming and then people are talking about the team and I think with that, basically I mean for me is to see them do well for this season beautiful Farhan.
Speaker 1:Any message for the fans, because I think the fans have been supporting you. Nazri just spoke about the families, but you know fans as well who are not families, but they have become families because they've been supporting you guys away, home, matches or whatever it may be, whether you lost games, whether you won games, whether you drew games. Any message for them?
Speaker 3:My message to them is basically it's not the same young Lions as you saw last season. I think. It's a brand new team, like I mentioned. So we are going into every game and we have to be positive and we should like I said we should in the pre-season that we can compete. So the players have to believe and you know, you will see a different side of Young Lions. That is what I can assure you.
Speaker 1:Beautiful, you know. And Farhan and Nazri, I really do hope that you guys do well for the season. It's going to be a long season, like I said, 24-25 right, and you know we wish you all the best, you know, especially with the young players under you as well. You know they got to keep on fighting. It doesn't matter what the results can be. Anyway, you're up against the real pros, if you want to say the real. You know the adults, for whatever reason, right. But we wish you all the best. We hope you get more than one win this season. Nazmi, I'm rooting for you guys as well. You know it is the right thing to do. Anyway, go out there, give all out, and we wish you all the best again, guys, thank you. This has been the latest episode of the Silver Fox Hustle podcast, the SPL preview. We are nearing the end of the SPL preview. One more team to go, I believe, and we'll do that soon. Till the next episode. We see you again, cheers. We'll see you next time.