Lions coach Tatsuma Yoshida unfazed by criticism
Lions coach keeps cool despite brickbats over team's individual errors against Solomon Islands
He sits on the hottest seat in local football, but you will not find new Lions tamer Tatsuma Yoshida breaking into a sweat.
The Japanese tactician, who started his stint as Singapore coach with a nervy 4-3 victory against the Solomon Islands in an international friendly last Saturday, is unfazed by his side's errors.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of today's friendly against Myanmar, Yoshida said: "In football, sometimes there will be individual mistakes. It is normal.
"If the players are serious, work hard and play for the team, then I have no problem with individual mistakes."
In last Saturday's match, the Lions conceded goals through individual errors. With Yoshida advocating a new brand of fast attacking football, coupled with a quick-pressing game, several players were guilty of surrendering possession in key areas.
Some fans took to social media to castigate the sloppiness of the goals, while others played down the victory due to the quality of the opposition.
But again, the coach was not too bothered.
Yoshida, who turned 45 on Sunday, said: "This is professional football. (Fans) are the same everywhere.
"In Brazil, Spain and even Japan, it is the same. I am not worried. We trust ourselves. It's just three goals. If it's 10 goals against us, then it's a problem.
"In a game, both teams want to win. That's football. We (the fans and the team) have to grow together."
ON BOARD
And it seems that the players are already on board with Yoshida.
Zulfahmi Arifin, who started at left-back but was redeployed to midfield on Saturday, said: "During the four days of training that we've had, we have been transiting to a new style of play.
"The players love the way he wants us to play. We feel that we improved in our confidence to keep the ball moving.
"We kept the ball and moved it forward. It was a positive sign."
Like world No. 160 Singapore, 140th-ranked Myanmar also have a new man at the helm.
Miodrag Radulovic was appointed the new head coach of the Myanmar national team only in April. The Montenegrin had previously masterminded a win against Singapore, guiding Lebanon to a 1-0 victory against the Lions at the National Stadium in November 2017.
Yoshida is expected to tweak his starting XI, with two veterans - striker Khairul Amri, 34, and goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, 35 - set to come in.
Izwan Mahbud, who started between the sticks last Saturday, was taken off after a head injury. He received three stitches to his head and will be assessed this morning.
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