LionsXII stats
Played 8, Won 4, Drew 2, Lost 2; Scored 10, Conceded 7; 4th position out of 14 teams.
Top Player: Shahril Ishak
The captain has been at the heart of all things good in this side. Not only has he scored half of the LionsXII's ten goals, he's put in gut-busting shifts in various positions and been the sole source of creativity in an often predictable LionsXII team. Barring any injuries, Shahril should look to hit around 15-20 goals this season and give himself a shot at the top scorer award. Winning it would no doubt be an incredible achievement, especially for a midfielder in his debut season in this league.
Flop Player: Agu Casmir
When Agu first burst onto the S-League scene early this century, crowds and pundits alike were taken with his pace, hunger, energy and ruthless goalscoring instinct. He was Woodlands Wellington's franchise man, the one player who could cause opposing defenders to have palpitations before games. Now, several years on, Agu seems to have lost all of the above attributes; he is a mere shadow of his former (albeit awesome) self. With no goals to show this season, it should not take long for him to drop behind Sufian Anuar - who, though also goalless, is a source of assists - in the pecking order.
Step Up: Safuwan Baharudin
The talented young centre-back has not been at his rock-solid best thus far this season. He has not exactly played badly, but he has given away a couple of penalties and furthermore has not shown his prowess as an offensive header of the ball. I'm thinking, however, that in one of the next few games we will see him thump a header into the back of the opposition net and therefore begin a nice spree which should culminate in him - yes, him - being one of the higher-scoring LionsXII players (around five goals this campaign would be nice).
Top Game: LionsXII 3-1 Negeri Sembilan
That game was an example of what the boys are capable of if they gel properly. On display were three goals, several nice open and set plays, and a good solid defensive performance. Admittedly, Negeri Sembilan did not provide the sternest opposition that night, but the LionsXII still had to do their bit to win the game so convincingly.
Worst Game: LionsXII 1-2 Kelantan
The first half was good, except for the goal conceded near half-time to Kelantan forward Norshahrul Idlan Talaha. The second half was atrocious, largely due to the fact that most of the LionsXII players were nearly completely spent. However, that was the very first game of the season, and the LionsXII players' fitness levels have gone up since.
Top Eleven
(4-2-3-1) Izwan Mahbud; Juma'at Jantan, Baihakki Khaizan, Safuwan Baharudin, Shakir Hamzah; Hariss Harun, Shahdan Sulaiman; Yasir Hanapi, Shahril Ishak, Shaiful Esah; Sufian Anuar
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