LIONS TAKEN TO THEIR LIMIT

Coach Ogura aims to ready the team to play at a high intensity for 90 to 95 minutes

- David Lee

If the players were still unsure about the level of intensity required by national football coach Tsutomu Ogura, they certainly know it now, after being pushed "to the limit" during the September training window.

In line with his plan to use unconventional methods to prepare the Lions, the Japanese coach scheduled consecutive training matches to test them. He had hatched the scheme to deal with scheduling changes and a lack of suitable opposition.

On Sept 6, the Lions beat Singapore Premier League leaders BG Tampines Rovers 3-0.

But, a day later, they lost by the same margin to 10-time Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT), who boast more than 20 foreign-born players in their squad, in closed-door friendlies at the Kallang Football Hub.

Ogura, who was appointed in February, insisted the scores were "never important" as he wanted the players to learn how to keep fighting, even when they were tired. This was to prepare them for the tough battle ahead at the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship, now known as the Mitsubishi Electric Cup.

He told The Straits Times on Sept 10: "Our window was designed to increase the intensity day by day, and it was intentional that the JDT match was scheduled just one day after the Tampines match.