Tampines Rovers battle to find form but are ready to challenge for SPL title

In a decisive game back in July, the Stags asserted their dominance in the title race by delivering a crushing 5-0 victory over the Lion City Sailors at Bishan Stadium. This impressive win propelled them to the top of the table, leaving the Sailors trailing behind by three points.

Fast forward three months and the tables have turned. Tampines now find themselves six points behind the Sailors and struggling through a tough patch, winless in their last six league games.

On Oct 29, the Stags take on Geylang International in the Eastern Derby at the Jalan Besar Stadium, hoping to keep their title ambitions alive and prevent their rivals, two points behind, from leapfrogging them into second place in the table.

Tampines coach Gavin Lee will have something up his sleeve to halt the slide, telling The Straits Times that there are “a few things that need to be better that we aren’t going to share publicly”, but admitted his team needed to be more decisive at both ends.

Lee, 34, who took charge of the Stags in 2019, said: “We’re well aware of our recent results in the league and it has definitely not helped us in our journey this season. We have evaluated and want to improve things we feel that have let us down a little bit.

“It is definitely not for the lack of trying. In those (six) games, our performances have been good in general...but in the more critical moments, we’ve made mistakes and we have been punished, and when we had our chances in front of goal, we didn’t take it.”

Lee is confident that his team – who are bidding for their first league title since 2013 – will fight till the end.

He said: “We want to push (for the title) all the way, we still have half the season left to go and a lot of games to play.”

Striker Boris Kopitovic also called on his teammates to take responsibility to try and steer the club back on track.

Like his club, the Montenegrin started the season in fiery form, with 12 goals in the first 12 league matches but has since found the back of the net only twice in the last six matches.

The 29-year-old said the players must “be ruthless to kill games off”, considering they have lost 11 points from winning positions in the SPL this season.

Kopitovic added: “Our consistency as a team needs to be better. If even one player’s form drops a bit, it is not enough for us to be competitive with a team like Sailors.

“But we are all prepared to push and give everything in the last two rounds of the season. We want to close the gap and win the title.”

Lee also batted away observations that the Stags’ form dipped because of their exertions in the Asian Champions League 2 and his appointment as part of the Singapore national team’s backroom staff under Tsutomu Ogura since March.

Describing their place in the Asian competition as a “privilege” – they have four points from three Group G matches – he said assistant coach Mustafic Fahrudin will oversee training when he is away.

Lee said: “For me, nothing has changed. The people at the club can tell you that nothing has dropped in quality or quantity... We had a drop in form last season too and I wasn’t involved in the national team then.”

While the Stags are looking to turn around their recent form, the Eagles come into the tie with three consecutive wins.

However, Geylang coach Noor Ali is expecting a tough battle.

He said: “It is a match that we are looking forward to because it is a Eastern derby. Both teams will be motivated to get a good result so I think it will be a really good game. We are ready for it.”

Meanwhile, Balestier Khalsa ended a run of three straight losses in style when they thumped hapless Tanjong Pagar 5-0 at the Jurong East Stadium on Oct 28, courtesy of Kodai Tanaka’s brace and goals from Ignatius Ang, Jordan Emaviwe and Ismail Sassi.

Albirex Niigata v Hougang (Oct 29, 7.45pm, Jurong East Stadium)

The in-form Albirex, who have lost just once in their last seven matches, host a Cheetahs side who are winless in their last five matches. Albirex will also be looking for revenge after Hougang secured a 1-0 win when they last met in July.