- 2 months ago
In their final game and title decider, SNL faces their toughest challenge yet. Two players in the local football scene are battling for the win, is talent enough to survive the harsh demands of professional football?
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Same as how the German game went, we then really got going that day as well.
00:071, 2, 3, 4, go!
00:15How can a guy that has shot have the second ball?
00:18Let's start, past 10 guys are watching play football.
00:20Come on!
00:29Yes! Yes!
00:31Let's start, let's start.
00:33Today's all about not letting them penetrate to the centre.
00:36Once we force them to the side, we close the middle straight away already.
00:38We want to win the board then.
00:40Okay, let's go.
00:41420, let's go.
00:42Alright, then we bring Justin in.
00:46Today we're playing against a team that's second in the table.
00:48RTSB.
00:49It's a title decider.
00:50Today it might be a tough game.
00:53As long as we just avoid a defeat, today we'll be able to secure the titles mathematically.
00:57It's definitely a must win because currently we are second in time.
01:01So we need this game to catch up with them.
01:03Definitely they're stressed.
01:04We feel confident.
01:05I like to think that my boys are kind of like diamonds, thrive under pressure.
01:09We just need to prepare ourselves and make sure that we play our best.
01:17More often than not, when title challengers face each other, it's a must not lose.
01:22That's number one.
01:23And in this case for us, unfortunately we have to really go for the win.
01:27So we must really take this game seriously.
01:29So RTSB, I think this season has been our closest rival.
01:32They've played with us so they kind of know what's our strategy and what kind of things we kind of look out for.
01:38That makes the games more interesting.
01:40Very important for us to stay patient during the game, whatever the score is.
01:44And keep trying to play the football that we play.
01:46And I'm very confident that we will score a few goals.
01:50That's for sure.
01:51Oh, tell me about Justin.
01:53Oh, so he's the greatest gift I gave to SNL?
01:57I'm Justin.
01:58I play for SNL as a midfielder.
02:02It's unbelievable, like the things that he can do on the pitch.
02:06With him, we can play the football that we want.
02:09Any dead ball outside the box, he'll come in one free kick, boom, top corner, 1-0.
02:14He knows he's a good player, but his whole role is thinking about how to make the rest of the team shine.
02:20He makes us invincible.
02:22Let's say we are a Ferrari, right?
02:24Justin is the one who gives us that level 98 SPC petrol.
02:28Just the extra type of penis.
02:30I mean, we all know his accolades, right?
02:32This guy played professional football.
02:34So he's someone that you want on your team and not against.
02:37The first memory of football is a very carefree one.
02:46Purely for fun, joy, entertainment.
02:52As a kid, you only do what you like.
02:54And you do what you enjoy.
02:58It only became more serious when I managed to get into sport school.
03:02Then I started thinking, oh okay, maybe I have a chance of doing something.
03:07I made my professional debut at 18, under Young Airlines.
03:15And then 20 was my first professional contract, under Alga.
03:21The greatest achievement, I think professionally was still the Sailors title win.
03:27That was only the second year Sailors was put together as a new club.
03:32And like, they were really pushing to be the next big club.
03:36To be considered as one of the players that they wanted to take as part of this very new project was great.
03:41And then, to follow it up by winning the league, that's one of the biggest achievements, I would say.
03:47The team still wants to win the league, and they know that after losing to the Germans, we cannot afford to lose any more games.
03:56This season, they are the toughest team that we played against.
03:59For us, we knew they were good.
04:01We just had to limit them from playing their game.
04:04Be a bit harder, be a bit stronger, be a bit more physical.
04:07We have that physics in us, and we have the mental resilience.
04:09So, it will be a very interesting showdown.
04:11We try to maximise our strengths, and try to minimise the weaknesses that we have.
04:16So, I think it's quite annoying to play against us, because we try to do certain things well,
04:22and then try to reduce the strengths of the opposition, I guess.
04:25My name is Qi Xiang. I play goalkeeper for Saturday Night Live FC.
04:35Our Mr. Reliable at the back.
04:37He's a big rock of our team.
04:39When we have Qi Xiang in goal, we are more courageous in terms of how we play.
04:43Just by him, organising the defence, it keeps everybody focused.
04:47His professional life, working within the football industry, helps a lot.
04:52He brings a different perspective to the game, to the sport, compared to the other players.
04:58I mean, I always envisioned working in a football club or football association.
05:02So, I guess it was a really natural or very welcome transition to start working here at Lion City Sailors.
05:09As of now, currently, I'm the Head of Performance at Lion City Sailors.
05:12So, primarily, I deal with physical data to try and drive decision-making day-to-day.
05:17I will review the results of our training, like physically, how we looked.
05:21We make plans with our medical team to discuss certain programmes for certain players.
05:26And also, if we play the match, review the match, how we did it physically and how we can improve.
05:31I think not all clubs have the resources to be able to employ someone full-time to just be looking at data
05:37and looking at planning physical performance.
05:40From what I know, in secondary school, Qi Xiang and Derek, they would call each other at the end of the year
05:45to see who was the last in school for I forgot which subject.
05:49We both failed maths.
05:50We ended up being friends through having shitty grades.
05:53After failing maths, he has actually ended up getting a PhD.
05:58And as for whether Qi Xiang got lower than me, that's a secret.
06:02Okay.
06:03A couple of changes I'm going to make.
06:08Where can we remain?
06:09Aloy, can you still last?
06:10Again, I can.
06:11Okay.
06:12Contain.
06:13I just want to contain.
06:14All out, all out.
06:15Yeah, all out.
06:16Even if it's not a good ball, just play.
06:17Just don't overheat, okay?
06:18Just play that ball.
06:19They will come.
06:20They will come, okay?
06:21Boys, another 40.
06:22Okay?
06:23Another 40.
06:24Another 40.
06:25Another 40.
06:26It's not often that you play a title decided in the last game of the season.
06:43So, there's a lot of pressure and everything.
06:46So, it's really do or die.
06:48The championship really determines on whether we perform in this game or not.
06:53And we definitely need to pick up the win today.
06:58I think it was a game or two teams that were really well matched playing a match against
07:03each other.
07:04They have players that can play, good in possession.
07:08These players that we are playing against now, they are more experienced.
07:19There was a lapse of concentration, perhaps, in our team at critical moments that allowed
07:24them to score.
07:25The first goal that was considered changed the whole game.
07:28And the first goal that was considered was partly my fault.
07:31The striker managed to flick on to the finger, which was my guy.
07:35And I wasn't there.
07:36And so, I was quite disappointed in myself for not tracking back quickly enough to prevent that
07:41goal from happening.
07:42Now, we became more panicky.
07:45We started to lose our shape and structure.
07:49Same as how the German game went, we didn't really got going that day as you all.
07:53We have a strong defence, so it was very funny what was happening.
08:14Personally, for me, I take things really hard.
08:16I think if you ask any of my teammates, they will describe me as that.
08:20Everyone knows that they have their own rights, they have their own say.
08:33To always pick up, to always tell me, hey, how can the game be improved?
08:37How can we do better?
08:42Each game is only 18 minutes long.
08:44We don't have time to just let the game slide by just like that.
08:47Response has to be immediate.
09:02When we play against title challengers, we have to win.
09:10Yeah, goalkeeper play a really good game as well, so when we had the chances, we weren't able to score that day.
09:14I think there needs to be a better design pathway for professional football.
09:33I think there needs to be a better design pathway for professional football.
09:38I guess it's quite sad to see guys dropping off like maybe, for example, Justin, dropping off the professional player pathway just because, you know, sometimes it's not so sustainable.
09:48In my career, I had many highs and many lows.
09:52I managed to win the Straits Times Young Athlete of the Year award for my performance in the A Division finals.
09:58I felt quite honoured because it was the first ever time they handed out this category.
10:02It was something also used as to motivate me because I was trying to really break through ASLIC at that point of time.
10:10Unfortunately, after I got the award, then I had that major injury which set me back like one year.
10:16And then unfortunately COVID came along and that set me back again.
10:21And then before NS set me back another two years, I had a good season with Seiders.
10:30So my contract with Augang ended in May.
10:34It's still a little bit early at this point to say whether I'll be playing next season or not.
10:39But there are definitely intentions to play.
10:41Just that the right offer, right timing, I guess, it has to come.
10:49Currently, I'm running my own bubble tea shop.
10:53If I don't continue playing, a lot of the time and effort will be put into expanding the business.
11:00My girlfriend's parents founded this shop and my girlfriend took over.
11:04I was always interested in doing something related to business.
11:07So since we already had this foundation to start, we decided to grow the business.
11:14My aspirations for the shop, firstly, is to keep the different stalls stable.
11:18We are looking at opening another one.
11:22And then we are really very excited to join more events.
11:27We do learn things which are different.
11:29At the same time, whatever I've learned from football can be implemented also when I run the business.
11:35For football-wise, I think now it's really just to prolong the career as long as I can.
11:42If there's an opportunity to continue playing professionally, I would.
11:46As long as I can continue to enjoy football, that is enough for me.
11:50Lion City Sailors is pushing the boundaries of what we imagine is possible for Singapore football.
12:05Making sure that being a professional footballer is a sustainable means of a career for our players.
12:10And I hope that we will set an example for other clubs to follow.
12:14Because I think if one club is the only one doing it, it's going to be tough to drive so much change.
12:20But hopefully by setting an example, the other clubs can do the same as well.
12:24And then that will make a real significant shift to what is possible in Singapore football.
12:28I think in general we don't take losing well. That's why we've been a competitive team for quite a long time now.
12:48I think it takes that kind of mentality to really compete at a good level for social football for such a long time.
12:57Disappointing result, not something that we really needed.
13:01I mean the game actually put us in expense of the league. The league is not in our hands.
13:06Because of this, we are definitely hoping for results now. RTSB have to drop points.
13:13Context a lot is in government in space.
13:18No, it's not in the same way.
13:23I'm not in general.
13:27Well done, we're so proud of it.
13:29I did not.
13:31Ok, ok, ok.
13:34Eh, hands on the hands on the guys.
13:36Ready?
13:37Yeah!
13:42After we lost to RTSB, it was all down to goal difference.
13:48We needed RTSB to not win by more than five goals, and Chevron did us a favour.
13:54So it came down to goal difference at the end, so they had a final chance to win a game
13:59in their last game of the season, so unfortunately for us, they couldn't win with enough goals,
14:05so we ended up winning on goal difference.
14:12Thank you so much for watching, and we'll see you in the next video.
14:17See you next time.
14:19Bye.
14:20Bye.
14:21Bye.
Be the first to comment