July 29, 2004

Stags Aliff Shafaein will have plenty of motivation to shine as Stags prepared to face the Young Lions in an important top of the table clash at Tampines stadium.

National coach Radojko Avramovic would be there sitting in the stand.

While Aliff has been in good form all season, he knows the only way to become a Lion is to impress Avramovic.

Afterall, the Serbo-Montenegrin had promoted his former colleagues Shahril Ishak & Ridhuan Muhammad to the full Lions set-up.

Aliff, who joined the Stags at the start of the season is delighted to have the chance to play with the Stags as within the club there are so many good experienced players & playing with them have given him the chance to impress

Still critics have expressed scepticism about his ability to cut it in a physical game, with his 1.60m, 55kg frame.

Responding to that he does not quite understand it as he may be small but the game is also about brains & skills so he believed as long as he give his best, there is the chance he will be playing in the South-east Asian Games next year as he eligible.

Also he hope to play in his favourite position & that position is the playmaker's role just behind the strikers, a role from which Stags coach Vorawan Chitavanich has drawn the best out of Aliff, after switching him there in mid-season.

Aliff said he had been playing in that position until becoming a striker with the national U18 team. After that, he had to play on the left flank as he was not suited for the striker role & he was not comfortable with that.

With all that, Aliff still know it would not easy to play against the Young Lions as they harbour championship hope but the acknowledgement only by playing well against a strong Young Lions team can his national team chances be enhanced.