06 Jan Helmi facing double whammy after another horror showing

GOALKEEPER Mohd Helmi Eliza will not be called up for national team duty if he loses his place in the Kedah team for the Malaysian Super League (MSL). Helmi had a bad match against Selangor on Saturday letting in three soft goals before he was replaced in the first half. Helmi’s poor performances started at the Asean Championship where he let in three goals against Vietnam which ended Malaysia’s run in the tournament. National coach B. Sathianathan hopes that the twice MSL Goalkeeper of the Year will find his way back to the top. “It’s easy for everyone to criticise him because he has not been playing well, but I think he needs a lot of support to boost his confidence level. “Helmi is still the best goalkeeper in the country. I am sure Kedah are doing all they can to help him,” said Sathianathan at Wisma FAM yesterday. But the coach also made it clear that Helmi will only play for the national team if he regains his form and remains consistent with his performances. “The players who are selected to the national team are those who perform well at the MSL level, and if Helmi can fight his way back the door is always open to him. I will be speaking to him to see how best I can help him,” said Sathianathan.

In the absence of Helmi UPB MyTeam goalkeeper Syed Adney Syed Hussein and Selangor’s Hamsani Ahmad may get their chance to prove themselves. “We have very few goalkeepers who can play at international level. I have to see from these two which one will be a better option for the Asian Qualifiers. “Whatever happens we are up against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the goalkeeper must have enough confidence to play.” added Sathianathan. The national team report for training on Jan 14 and will take on UAE at the Petaling Jaya Stadium five days later.