KUALA LUMPUR: The AFF Cup could be a perfect avenue for Harimau Malaya coach Kim Pan Gon to expand his player pool ahead of major competitions next year.
Pan Gon is set to call up fringe players and newcomers for the AFF Cup from Nov 23-Dec 31 as those from Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) and Selangor may not be available as their clubs will be involved in the Asian Champions League (ACL) Elite and ACL 2, respectively.
In the 2022 edition of the AFF Cup, Harimau Malaya were without eight key players.
Despite this, Pan Gon's side reached the semi-finals before losing 3-1 on aggregate to eventual champions Thailand.
Football critic Datuk Richard Scully said Pan Gon should use it as a challenge to improve the national team.
"It's a blessing in disguise for the national team. It is an opportunity for Pan Gon to look for new players for the AFF Cup," said Richard.
"We cannot always depend on the same core players due to issues with their form and age. We need to have a big pool of players for the national team."
"The AFF Cup is a good chance to expand the pool of players, but at the same time, we cannot compare apples to oranges in terms of player quality.
The newcomers have big boots to fill."
The national team will kick off their AFF Cup Group A campaign against Cambodia (away, Nov 23), followed by matches against Brunei or Timor Leste (home, Nov 26), Thailand (away, Nov 29), and Singapore (home, Dec 6).
Malaysia's best showing was becoming champions in 2010. They also finished runners-up in 1996, 2014, and 2018.
Richard said Pan Gon could use the national Under-23 players for the AFF Cup.
"Malaysia did not do well at the recent Under-23 Asian Cup. The AFF Cup could be perfect for them to mature as players," he added.