Fabio Capello advises Persib to change
Fabio Capello advises Persib to change
JAKARTA (JP): Fabio Capello, the head coach of soccer giant AC
Milan, advised Persib Bandung to make radical changes if the
local team wants to raise its game to a higher level.
Despite the absence of superstars such as Dutchmen Ruud Gullit
and Marco van Basten AC Milan carried too much skill and speed
for Persib Bandung which went down with a whimper 0-8 at the
Senayan stadium on Saturday.
"Although I only observed briefly, it is clear that Persib has
a lot of homework to do if it wants to become a better team,"
Capello said through an interpreter at a press-conference after
the game.
"Most probably, every thing from the players' physical
fitness, skills and team management must be changed," he said.
"It took us a lot of sacrifices to reach this level," he
added.
The coach, however, praised Persib's midfielder Yudi Guntara,
who wears no. 5, describing him as a "promising and talented
player."
"I notice that he tried hard and put up a good fight, " he
said.
AC Milan, often dubbed the "Dream Team", has won the European
Champions title five-times and is considered the world's best
professional soccer club to date.
Persib Bandung, the three time victor of the inter-city
championship in Indonesia, had no illusions going into the match,
hoping for nothing more than good experience from meeting the
star-studded European team.
"We will be there to learn," said Ateng Wahyudi, the team's
coach, before the match.
Throughout the friendly match Saturday, the soccer Goliaths
played aggressively and beautifully, drawing constant admiring
"ooohs" and "aaaahs" from the spectators.
Without any doubt, AC Milan lived up to its promise before the
match that it would play seriously and show its class.
Capello was also active yelling orders to his charges from the
side of the field for most of the game.
In comparison, Persib's officials remained stoically seated
during the entire course of the annihilation.
"My boys played well despite the humidity and they scored
eight spectacular goals," Capello said.
The coach, however, brushed aside any accusations that AC
Milan was being unnecessarily ruthless to the extent that two of
his players were flashed the yellow card.
"We always play aggressively and the card was given for two
mild mistakes such as kicking the ball out of the field
unnecessarily and pulling the opposition's shirt," he said.
He added that Persib was totally demoralized after its shaky
defense was mercilessly penetrated eight times.
"It's hard for any team," he added.
Capello also expressed his satisfaction that his squad could
maintain its spunk until the second-half of the game despite his
initial concern.
"We have proved that, unlike Sampdoria, we can overcome all
weather conditions," he said.
Sampdoria, another top Italian club, played in Indonesia last
month to beat Indonesia's Liga Selection 3-2.
Meanwhile, Agum Gumelar, the chairman of the organizing
committee - who is also the commander of Kopassus, the Army's
elite unit - was satisfied that the match went smoothly without
any untoward incidents.
"Unlike the Sampdoria event, we did not see any bottle-
throwing activities," he said.
The chain-smoking one-star general said that about 1,500
military and police personnel were deployed to maintain order.
"It's better to leave some space at the stadium than welcoming
hooligans," he said with a big smile. (hdj)