Malaysia secured a berth in the semifinals of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup with an impressive 3-0 win over Myanmar in their final group game. The Malaysians have looked impressive throughout the competition, imposing their passing game on a majority of their opponents.
Their ability with the ball at feet is evidenced by the fact that 5 Malaysians feature in the top 10 list of attempted passes in the competition. Malaysia are also far and away the team with the most passes attempted, with as many as 2,143 so far, almost 200 passes more than Vietnam, who sit second with 1947.
Here, FOX Sports Asia runs through Opta stats to list five of Malaysia’s greatest assets in the passing game – five players who have completed the most passes in the competition.
#5 Syahmi Safari (173 passes)
Syahmi places 10th on the list of most attempted passes in the tournament, and fifth amongst his teammates, with 207 – an impressive feat considering his more defensive role in the competition.
He has completed 83.6% of those – 173 to be precise, which puts him fifth on this list. With a long-pass accuracy of 50% and 34.3% of his passes played forwards, the 20-year-old has been a key figure in Malaysia’s offence this tournament.
Syahmi has played every single minute of Malaysia’s campaign thus far and has put in impressive displays more often than not, even adding an assist to his name in the game against Laos.
#4 Aidil Zafuan (186 passes)
The second of four defenders on this list, Aidil Zafuan’s presence just emphasises Malaysia’s style of play and approach to the game, focussing on building out from the back and being patient with the ball.
With 223 passes, 7 more than Do Duy Manh of Vietnam, Aidil sits in 7th place in the overall list of passes attempted, averaging 56 per game. He has completed 186 of those at a healthy 83.4%. He has not enjoyed too much success lofting the ball forward though, with a long-pass conversion rate of just 37.5%.
The 31-year-old veteran, like Syahmi, has played every minute of Malaysia’s campaign thus far and has been a rock at the back for his side.
#3 Syazwan Andik (205 passes)
With 205 completed passes, Syazwan Andik is comfortably placed at the third spot on this list. In terms of passes attempted, he is sixth overall with 247, just 2 short of Myanmar’s Bo Bo Hlaing who has attempted 245 passes this tournament.
Syazwan’s passing accuracy in the opposition’s half stands at an admirable 76.3%, although he is completing just 30% of his long-pass attempts, which is a cause for concern.
Syazwan has done a phenomenal job both defensively and pushing forward, linking well with the midfield to generate chances for his side. With his overlapping runs, he has been a key figure in Malaysia’s campaign thus far and will continue to be so going forward.
#2 Shahrul Saad (217 passes)
Yet another defender who makes the list – the fourth in fact – Shahrul Saad has attempted as many as 257 passes in four games, averaging close to 65 per game, and completed 217 of those.
Shahrul has formed a solid pairing at the back alongside Syazwan Andik, which has contributed to Malaysia’s success so far.
With a success rate of 84.4 per cent, Shahrul is comfortable with the ball at feet and is not afraid to take the aerial route either, completing 51 per cent of his long passes.
#1 Akram Mahinan (254 passes)
Akram Mahinan leads the Suzuki Cup in attempted passes with a whopping 309 across 4 games, completing 254 of those. Akram has really pulled the strings for Malaysia in the centre of the midfield, controlling the tempo of games and helping build attacks from the back.
His pass completion rate stands at an admirable 82.2 percent with 35.3 per cent of his total passes being in the forward direction.
He’s formed a great understanding with Syamer Kutty Abba in the heart of the Malaysian midfield which has helped Harimau Malaya control games, averaging 65% of the possession so far in the tournament.
With a huge semi-final encounter on the horizon, the onus will once again be on the 25-year-old to dominate the midfield and take Malaysia one step closer to the trophy.
(All statistics provided by Opta)
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