\n<\/p>\n
National team captain Hariss Harun agreed, saying that since Mr Li became FAS president, particularly following Singapore’s qualification for the Asian Cup, the team had developed a greater sense of purpose.<\/p>\n
“Previously maybe when you came to the national team, you felt a little bit more relaxed\u2026 we don’t take things for granted, but things were done on a relaxed note,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Whereas now, I think there’s a lot of purpose\u2026 Gavin has aligned the team in terms of how we want to play, how we carry ourselves off the pitch as well, and I think to a certain extent, the public can see that as well.”<\/p>\n
He added that with more resources flowing into the game, the situation was now “vastly different” from a couple of years ago in Singapore football.<\/p>\n
“We’re moving forward, but we have a lot, a lot of things to do. If you look at the top teams in Asia, that’s where we aspire to be.”<\/p>\n
While the national team’s performance has improved, questions remain over whether the Lions can mount a strong Asian Cup campaign and move Singapore closer to Mr Hariss’ dream of becoming a regional football powerhouse.<\/p>\n
The recent 6-0 pummelling by Malaysia has dampened an otherwise positive year for the Lions, pundits noted.<\/p>\n
Mr Jose Raymond, founder of The Monitor Singapore, an independent football news and commentary site, cautioned against overplaying the significance of Singapore’s Asian Cup qualification almost a year ago.<\/p>\n
“The thing which we have going for us was the qualification to the Asian Cup, but if you keep referring just to that one point over and over again, it’s what I call a confirmation bias,” he said.<\/p>\n
As of November, Singapore is the lowest-ranked team to have qualified for the Asian Cup and will face Tajikistan, Iraq and Australia in the group stages.<\/p>\n
The Asian Cup, originally scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia early next year, has been pushed back to December 2027 following recent attacks on the country.<\/p>\n
Mr Raymond questioned whether Mr Lee had enough international experience to guide Singapore against stronger opponents at the Asian Cup, given the team’s struggles against regional rivals.<\/p>\n
“Indonesia, Malaysia, these teams are really performing at a different level, and we saw where we stood,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There’s a combination of things which we have to do, whether it’s foreign talent or whether it’s having a coach who knows how to navigate past a team which is very physically strong and fast like Malaysia or who’s got physical presence like Indonesia,” Mr Raymond added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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