It's worrying to see how much a team tipped as title contenders continue to struggle, as Home United did against the Young Lions over the weekend.
As the 2-1 scoreline suggested, it was a narrow win for Home and was far from an easy win as they had to toil against a team that is less experienced and void of any stars.
Saswadimata Dasuki is already looking suspect even though it's still only the early days in the SPL (Singapore Premier League). Surely against a team like the Young Lions, his tactics to sit deep and defend their lead at times is bewildering as the Protectors should be dispatching the Young Lions with ease.
After all, Home is the current AFC Cup Asean champions, and the fans will expect and are right to expect more from them.
Head coach, Saswadimata, continues to live under the shadow of former Home coach, Aidil Sharin, whose success last season is still fresh in the minds of many.
For now, Saswadimata's tactics are questionable while his man-management seems to be absent; evidenced by how lax some of the players were in the game against the Young Lions.
Significantly, the recent wins are papering over the cracks, but one continues to wonder how long that will last.