Tatsuma pleased with ‘fantastic’ March training sessions

SINGAPORE, 31 MARCH 2021 – Last week, the Men’s National Team gathered together for the first time in a year to undergo a series of training sessions for the March international break.

After the impact of Covid-19, which resulted in the Lions’ World Cup qualifiers being postponed numerous times, along with the AFF Suzuki Cup, Coach Tatsuma Yoshida was delighted for the team to be back again as one. From 23 to 27 March, 24 local-based players (Hami Syahin joined in on the final two days to make it 25) from the AIA Singapore Premier League (SPL) were put through their paces in a variety of drills and an internal sparring match on the final day.

The sessions served to get the call-ups, of which seven were new faces, accustomed to Tatsuma’s playing philosophy: be positive, to attack and to play the ball forward, at all times. Speaking to FAS.org.sg, the 46-year-old described himself as very satisfied with the sessions.

“The football pitch is a special place for them and I felt big motivation from them, which I was really happy to see,” he said. “It (their performances) was very impressive; I could see their potential and they wanted to show me (that) they have something: ‘hey Coach, look at me’. It makes me motivated (and) it was fantastic – their attitude and performance.

“I want to see who has commitment to play with us (and be) consistent (in terms of performance). They have to work with us and play and train, for the team. I cannot say which player is the best because for me, we are the National Team (and) I hope all (the) players want to join us and aim to get the opportunity to take the National (Team) Jersey. Some players are getting old and some are still young, but all the players are important for me.”

The team is set to resume action this June when our remaining three Group D matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 are played in Saudi Arabia. The Lions will face Palestine, the host nation and Uzbekistan between 31 May and 15 June.

Singapore are currently third in the group D with seven points from five games, four points behind leaders Saudi Arabia and two behind second-placed Uzbekistan. While all the opponents are ranked higher than us, Tatsuma believes the Lions should hold no fear and play to the best of their ability.

“We should try to get more points even if the opponents are stronger,” he asserted. “I would say that as long as we have a possibility, we must try to get three points, to beat them.”

Player list for training sessions from 23 to 27 March 2021

Invited players

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