The need for goal scorers increased after Juan Muriel Orlando was ruled out until next year.
Johor FA head coach Azmi Mohamed is demanding his midfield start providing more goals after losing Juan Muriel Orlando to injury.
Argentinean star Orlando, who has 18-goals to his name this season, will be out for the next six to eight months after undergoing ACL surgery at the Damansara Specialist in Kuala Lumpur leaving the Southern Tigers short of genuine goal scorers so close to the start of the Malaysia Cup.
It has prompted Azmi to challenge his midfielders to step up the mark and fill the void left by their top marksman during the tournament, with skipper Farid Ideris the only other player to reach double figures in the side.
“They (midfielders) have a big role to play in the Malaysia Cup. I want them to help score goals to ease the burden on the strikers,” Amzi said to Sports247.
“We are severely handicapped without Orlando. Without him, others must take over the job of scoring. The midfielders must help the strikeforce.”
Johor will travel to the Klang Valley on Saturday to contest a friendly with Selangor club PKNS before taking on Negri Sembilan the following day.
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