Philippines vs Tajikistan: Match Preview

Come kick-off at 7:30pm tomorrow night, March 27, few things will be certain. The result will still be unknown. None of the teams in Group F are guaranteed progression to the Asian Cup. There are still three competitors for the two qualification slots, with several different permutations.

The Philippines does know one thing, though: Our fate is still under our control. We top the group with 9 points. Yemen and Tajikistan are tied on seven points, in second and third respectively, since Yemen has a superior head-to-head record over the latter.

A win or a draw takes the Azkals to the Asian Cup for the first time. However, our place in the United Arab Emirates next year is by no means guaranteed. Tajikistan are fighting to win in Manila, which would be the only way they would qualify, while Yemen play a mathematically-disqualified Nepal in Doha forty-five minutes after our game kicks off, where a win would bring them to the UAE.

A possibility still exists that the Philippines would still miss out. If Tajikistan and Yemen both win tomorrow, then we would drop down to third in the group, despite being top at the start of the day.

So it all comes down to matchday six, the final round of games.

Team Selection:

The Philippines have a team approaching full strength for tomorrow. Amani Aguinaldo, who has been stricken with a long-term injury for several months, is the only high-profile absence.

Cardiff City keeper Neil Etheridge, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe fullback Daisuke Sato, and former Henan Jianye striker Javier Patiño arrive to bolster the team who defeated Fiji in a friendly last week, adding to the likes of Phil Younghusband, Mike and Manny Ott, and Misagh Bahadoran.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Philippines will probably line up in Thomas Dooley’s preferred 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 formation. Javier Patiño will start upfront, to provide the offensive focal point that the team has been needing since his injury. Captain Phil Younghusband might either be dropped deeper or deployed beside Patiño for a front two, but that might isolate the midfield from the attack, and Phil’s range of passing and vision suit him playing in a slightly deeper role, just behind the striker, where he can both supply the frontline and score goals himself.

In the latter position, Younghusband would spearhead a dangerous-looking midfield trio that incorporates the Ceres-Bacolod pairing of Manny Ott and Kevin Ingreso.

Manny Ott provides a blend of aggression, energy, and creativity. His box-to-box runs can power the team forward, freeing space and creating chances for the frontline.  Ingreso plays deeper, as the shield for the defence, recycling possession. His shooting, as demonstrated by his well-taken half-volley against Fiji, is also a threat.

If Dooley does play a front three, Patiño will be flanked by two wingers. Dooley has several options in this regard, with Misagh Bahadoran, Iain Ramsay, Hikaru Minegishi, and Mike Ott competing for the two places out wide. Any two from these four are likely to play, but Bahadoran’s experience and Mike Ott’s good form for Ceres should get them chosen ahead of the other two.

The defence is also a key area. Neil Etheridge is an almost-certain starter in goal, providing the solidity that has been found slightly lacking in our other keepers. Central defence is more of a question, with Ceres’ Sean Kane involved in the equation with Dennis Villanueva, Carli De Murga, and Simone Rota.

De Murga has been the rock in the heart of Ceres’ defence so far this season, and with his experience, should be picked.

Villanueva, who can also play as a midfielder, adds the ability to start play from the back, something Dooley’s possession-based game would appreciate, which could be a factor if he is chosen to play in front of the more experienced Rota, though Sean Kane could challenge Villanueva in this respect, as another converted midfielder.

The opposition:

Tajikistan are also determined to win. Anything less than three points will end their bid to go to the Asian Cup.

Coach Khakim Fuzaylov has stated that “It’s a very important match for us”, while defender Iskandar Dzhalilov has declared that, “A win over the Philippines would go down in Tajik history.”

Tajikistan have the weapons to hurt us. Though we beat them 4-3 in Dushanbe in last June’s reverse fixture, they gave us some real scares, almost coming back to draw from 3-0 down until Daisuke Sato’s 79th minute thunderbolt settled matters, despite a late goal from Manuchekr Dzahalilov.

Parvizdzhon Umarbayev of Lokomotiv Plovdiv provides creativity, Istiklol’s Dilshod Vasiev gives them a potent attacker, while star midfielder Nuriddin Davronov could feature, having been injured for in our match against each other last June.

 

 

Conclusion:

Four years ago, the Azkals reached the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup final. A win there would take them to the Asian Cup and allow them to lift the country’s first major international trophy in more than a century.

We lost that final 1-0 to Palestine, thanks to Ashraf Nu’man’s stunning free kick.

Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to banish the memory of that loss. A chance to take us farther than we have ever gone.

When Phil Younghusband leads the team out at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, he will know that our fate is in our hands, but not only that. He will also know that he and his teammates have the chance to make history.

 

Philippines vs Yemen: Match Preview

The Azkals take on Yemen in Bacolod City, tomorrow night, September 5, in a clash at the top of Group F.

Both teams are in a healthy position coming into the game, the Philippines on six points following 4-1 and 4-3 wins against Nepal and Tajikistan, respectively. Yemen are also undefeated, having beaten Tajikistan 2-1 in Doha before a 0-0 draw away to Nepal in Kathmandu.

A Philippines win would still keep both sides in the top two qualification slots, barring a large Nepal win against Tajikistan. If Yemen win, they leapfrog the Philippines to the top spot in the group. A draw would maintain the top two.

It’s not exactly a must-win, for either team, but as Thomas Dooley stated, “The players will fight from the first to the last minute.”

Unavailable Players:

Thomas Dooley may have selection problems tomorrow, with many notable absences. Among the injured are Henan Jianye striker Javier Patiño, Global defender Amani Aguinaldo, both with knee injuries. The latter’s prospective replacement, JPV-Marikina centre-back Camelo Tacusalme, has a hamstring strain, and Kaya forward Kenshiro Daniels is also injured.

The surprising retirements of Ceres trio Jefferey Christaens, Stephan Schrock, and Roland Muller have limited Dooley’s choices even more, especially with a fourth Ceres player, Martin Steuble, out of favour.

An in-form Daisuke Sato is unavailable too, suspended for accumulated yellow cards.

Team Selection:

Here’s my guess at the contents of Thomas Dooley’s team sheet tomorrow:

Neil Etheridge, after a flying start to the season with Championship team Cardiff City, is a probable starter in goal.

The defence is a bit harder to predict. The resurgent Wolfsberger AC fullback Stephan Palla is the most obvious choice to fill Sato’s vacated place. At right back, Dooley can choose from Junior Munoz, Carli De Murga, or Davao Aguila’s Simone Rota, with the Munoz the most likely.

The two centre-backs slots are even more interesting, since the reliable Amani Aguinaldo is injured. Dooley has experimented with both Ceres’ Luke Woodland and Global’s Dennis Villanueva in the heart of the defence in previous friendlies. If not selected on the right, both De Murga and Rota are additional options, as is the yet-untested Ceres defender Joshua Grommen. However, the defence seems makeshift without Aguinaldo.

In the midfield, Manny Ott has emerged as one of the first names on the team sheet, and tomorrow will probably be no exception. Kevin Ingreso is also likely to start along side. The other midfield berth could go to either Paul Mulders of Global or James Younghusband, unless Dooley switches systems.

The wide attacking areas are highly competitive, Familiar faces like Iain Ramsay, Misagh Bahadoran, Hikaru Minegishi,  and a returned Patrick Reichelt will be vying for places with new boys such as Dylan De Bruycker, Tyler Matas, and Hansa Rostock’s Harry Foll, a Filipino-German winger with pace and height, currently playing in the German third division.

Phil Younghusband, the captain, completes the lineup at centre-forward.

Record:

The Philippines and Yemen have played each other twice before. The Azkals won 2-0 in Doha in the second game of World Cup Qualifying in June 2015, when Misagh Bahadoran and Iain Ramsay scored to momentarily take the Philippines to the top of the group. Yemen got back in the reverse fixture when a Ahmed Al-Sarori winner at Rizal Memorial punctured our World Cup hopes.

Conclusion:

Yemen are tough to beat. They have a solid defence marshalled by keeper Mohammed Ayash, and an attack led by Ayman Al-Hagri and Yasser Basuhai. They will punish us if we make any mistakes.

The Azkals will finally get the loud, raucous atmosphere they deserve, courtesy of the dedicated fans in Bacolod.

A win at Panaad will bring us a step closer to the Asian stage. We can do this.

 

 

Tajikistan vs Philippines: Match Preview

The second match of the Philippines’ 2019 Asian Cup qualifying campaign kicks off tomorrow in Dushanbe.

Despite a 4-1 win over Nepal in their first qualifier, back in March, the visitors surely have a deep dent in their confidence, due to the 8-1 thrashing the Azkals received in Guangzhou in last week’s friendly against China.

Tajikistan, on the other hand, opted not to play any friendlies, instead focusing on their ten-day internal training camp. “We didn’t play any friendly game in this period,” stated Coach Khakim Fuzaylov. “Our opponent played a friendly match, but we organised a game inside of our team.”

Fuzaylov wants to bounce back from slipping up in their first qualifier, a 2-1 loss to Yemen away in Doha. “This match is a six pointer. We will play at home and have no right to make a mistake in front of our own fans.”

“Unfortunately, we began our campaign with a defeat in the away game. We controlled that match, but could not gain a positive result, but we took important lessons from that match.”

Tajikistan will be without their captain, Istikol midfielder Nuriddin Davronov, while goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, fullback Jeffrey Christaens, midfielder James Younghusband, and winger Hikaru Minegishi are unavailable for the visitors.

The Philippines lined up in this a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation:

 

A relatively solid-looking back line and midfield shield was exposed multiple times by China’s ruthless attack. Matters were compounded when James Younghusband was forced off by an ankle injury on twenty minutes and Daisuke Sato asked to be substituted on thirty-two.

Patrick Deyto was nervy, Amani Aguinaldo was uncharacteristically uncertain, and his centerback partner Luke Woodland was a bit of a liability.

The frontline played slightly better, pulling back a goal ten minutes before the break to make it 2-1, as the Philippines sought to get back into the game, but they were a no-show in the second half.

The team has to improve drastically if they want to come away from Dushanbe with a result.

 

This is how the Philippines could possibly line-up tomorrow, though due to the unpredictability of Thomas Dooley’s tactics, it could well be wrong.

Deyto probably plays in goal, though if his confidence is still shot, Kaya’s Nick O’Donnell could step in.

Unfortunately, there are no other real centerbacks in the squad,  so Woodland and Aguinaldo will have to retain their roles, unless Dooley changes systems.

Ott and Ingreso will probably partner in midfield, unless Phil Younghusband is brought deeper as he did play last year.

The changes we have upfront could be the game-changer. Misagh Bahadoran, a natural winger, was drafted into striker, but he will probably be pushed back out wide with a returning Javier Patino back from a slight knock. On the left, Dooley has options. Ceres’ Iain Ramsay could start there. Mike Ott can also play on the wing.

Stallion’s experienced Reuben “Balot” Doctora could make an impact from the bench, or his club teammate Fitch Arboleda.

The Philippines has played against Tajikistan, in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup group stages, winning 2-1, with Phil Younghusband and Angel Guirado cancelling out Alexei Negmatov’s opener.

Five years on, however, Tajikistan are a much-changed team. They are confident of a win at home, and the Philippines need to be on the top of their game to dispel the ghosts of the defeat in Guangzhou and get a result.

Philippines vs. Nepal: Match Preview

The Philippine Azkals kick off their 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign tomorrow night, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

For perhaps the first time, the Azkals are the favourites to top their group and qualify, but we have six tough matches in front of us, starting with Koji Gyotoku’s side tomorrow.

Though the side nicknamed The Ghorkalis have not had the best recent record against the Philippines, (losing  4-0, 3-0, and 3-0 in our last three matches,) they are the current AFC Solidarity Cup holders, beating Macau in the final, and are surely determined to beat us when it matters.

The Azkals lined up with an experimental 4-4-2 system against Malaysia in last Wednesday’s friendly, a lineup successfully used in Europe by several teams in the past couple of seasons, most famously by Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City.

Combined with Dooley’s preference to keeping possession and dominating the opponent, however, the tactic was somewhat ineffective. Though we had the lion’s share of possession, Malaysia was successful in keeping a compact defence. Several promising plays broke down in the final third, and particularly in the second half, chances started to dry up.

The front two of Phil Younghusband and Javier Patiño were isolated at points, forcing them to drift wide to receive the ball. We lacked a central playmaker, the man in the hole, who could join the midfielders and the forwards.

If I were to pick our lineup tomorrow, it would look like this:

One major change would be to elevate Daisuke Sato, who has significantly improved since moving to Romanian Liga 1 side Politehnica Iași, to the left wing, in the absence of Misagh Bahadoran. Sato played superbly against Malaysia, and his talent might be better suited in a more attacking role, especially when we have an experienced left-back in Jeffery Christiaens.

The rest of the defence would stay the same. Dennis Villanueva self-assuredly held the fort against Malaysia, while Amani Aguinaldo, as always, proved why Thomas Dooley took a punt on him almost three years ago. Junior Muñoz was a surprise start, with a resurgent Carlie De Murga on the team, but he also did well until being substituted thirteen minutes before the end.

Manny Ott and Kevin Ingreso grabbed control of the centre of the park against Malaysia, nipping attacks in the bud and starting new ones. If they establish a similar control over the game tomorrow, we will have a very good chance indeed.

Another change from last Wednesday would be to drop Phil Younghusband deeper. Not in a centre or defensive midfield role, which stifled his attacking talent and exasperated the fans, but right behind the centre-forward, in the hole. From there he can dominate the final third with his range and quality of passing, but also with his goalscoring prowess.

Javier Patiño will be tasked with being the goal-getter, while Iain Ramsay to his right supplies the ammunition with his pace and trickery.

Dooley would also have options on the bench, with the likes of James Younghusband, OJ Porteria, Mike Ott, Hikaru Minegishi, and Fitch Arboleda in reserve in case of need.

On the other side of the pitch, Nepal may be underdogs, but they will not be pushovers. They have their own danger men such as Bimal Magar and Anil Gurung, who can punish us if we give a chance, and midfielder Jagajeet Shrestha has a bone to pick with Daisuke Sato, who got him sent off in the November 2014 friendly after exaggerating the effects of Shrestha’s headbutt.

We cannot let our foot off the gas tomorrow night. Tomorrow is a must-win.

Philippines vs Nepal kicks off at 8PM (UTC+8), at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila. Tickets are from 100 pesos and are available at SM ticket outlets. The match will not be shown on TV, but the Philippine Football Federation has set up a live stream, here: https://mycujoo.tv/ch/340?id=4994

Philippines 3-2 DPR Korea: Match Report and Analysis

Match Report:

The Philippine Azkals seized third place in the group last night with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over DPR Korea at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

After trading chances for the majority of the first half, including a Ri Myong Guk save from Javier Patino’s volley, Etheridge saving point-blank from Ro Hak Su, Martin Steuble shooting just over, and So Hyon Uk shooting wide on the rebound, Manny Ott’s 43rd minute through ball had Javier Patino beating Jang Kuk Chol for pace in the box. The Henan Jianye striker’s low shot  was parried by North Korean keeper Ri Myong Guk, but only as far as Misagh Bahadoran, who headed the rebound home.

The visitors restored parity in first-half added time, with the Philippines failing to clear Kang Kuk Chol’s free kick delivery. Ri Hyok Chol knocked it down and pulled it back for So Kyong Jin, whose first shot was blocked, but So placed the rebound past a fallen Neil Etheridge for 1-1.

The North Koreans then took the advantage three minutes into the second half after Kang Kuk Chol’s clever set piece trick led to another penalty box scramble. Ro Hak Su’s headers were first hacked off the line by Amani Aguinaldo, then saved by Etheridge, but the ball fell to Ri Hyok Chol, who bobbled it in from close range.

After several Azkals chances went awry, Dooley’s introduction of James Younghusband shook things up, and the Loyola Sparks midfielder featured in several chances before being crucially involved in the 84th minute equaliser. Younghusband passed the ball to Patino, who hacked it towards debutant Miguel Tanton. Tanton spotted an onrushing Manny Ott and back heeled it into the Ceres FC midfielder’s path. Ott, from just outside the box, hit it first time, beating Ri Myong Guk and into the bottom corner.

The Azkals weren’t stopping there. Into stoppage time, Martin Steuble chipped a ball to Patino, who beat Ri Yong Chol and pulled it to the centre of the penalty box, where Iain Ramsay was waiting. Ramsay’s blasted it home, despite Ri Myong Guk getting a touch, and won the game for the Philippines on captain Juani Guirado’s last international match.

 

Analysis:

Team Analysis:

The Philippines seemed to start out in a 4-3-3 formation like the one above. Dooley, with another successful example of his tactical tinkering, started Miguel Tanton, Kaya’s 26-year-old midfielder, alongside Luke Woodland as a shield for the back four. Manny Ott played a more attacking role, behind the forwards, Bahadoran, Patino, and Steuble.

Of the three midfielders, Ott was the standout, heavily involved in the first goal and scoring the second. Tanton played excellently, shielding the defence well and assisting Ott’s goal. Woodland, however, was taken off at the half in favour of Iain Ramsay, and his most memorable contribution was a retaliatory shove on a North Korean player which warranted him a booking.

Up front, Patino made an enormous difference, assisting the first and third goals, and very much involved in the second. Misagh Bahadoran scored the first goal, and Martin Steuble’s chip over the North Korean defence for Patino allowed the ex-Buriram United man to set Ramsay up for the winner.

Match Analysis:

In the first half, we played well, especially through the centre, where our first goal came from, but North Korea pressured us and hit us hard on the wings, causing some damage. Kang Kuk Chol’s delivery, which forced us to concede the equaliser, came from the left wing.

Dooley’s tactical reshuffle at the half paid off, switching Iain Ramsay for Luke Woodland. He turned it into a 4-2-3-1, pushing Bahadoran wide right, Steuble behind Patino, and Tanton alongside Ott in an attempt to stretch the North Korean defence. Despite the North Korean goal, this seemed to work, especially because the visitors were flagging in the heat and because of the high pressure game they played in the first period. The Philippines created chance after chance, but lacked a spark to really ignite the game. Dooley then took off Bahadoran and put on James Younghusband. The Sparks midfielder’s impact was instantaneous, jumpstarting the move for the equaliser, adding energy and experience. He was the straw that broke the North Korean defence’s back, and after conceding the equaliser, the visitors couldn’t hold back anymore, allowing Iain Ramsay to score the winner in one of the Azkals’ best games in their history.

 

Postgame Comments:

The Azkals defence looked suspect at times,  especially when defending crosses and set-pieces. This is a place where we should improve, as the four out of the last six goals we have conceded have come from set-pieces (Ismail Abdul Latif’s free kick in Bahrain, Anzur Ismailov’s header from Alexander Geynrikh’s delivery, and the two we conceded here, scored by So Kyong Jin and Ri Hyok Chol, both from Kang Kuk Chol set pieces). This should be an area where the team should improve. Otherwise, the team played brilliantly. On the bright side, the Azkals have scored their first first-half goal since Phil Younghusband’s penalty against Indonesia in the penultimate 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup group stage game.

Miguel Tanton and, as mentioned before, James Younghusband have made a case for themselves as team mainstays. Tanton performed well as the defensive shield, and JYH tore into the visiting defence after his 78th-minute introduction.

Javier Patino could’ve had a hat trick with all the chances he got, but more than made up for his misses by his involvement in all three goals. He gets the MOTM award for me.

Manny Ott just misses out on the man-of-the-match award, but he played a spectacular game, controlling the midfield, scoring and setting up one.

Thomas Dooley’s contract expired after last night’s game, but he stated that he would like nothing more than to extend his contract. With all this improvement after the worrying spell in October and November last year, where he seemed too stubborn to be able to change his failing tactical setup, Dooley certainly deserves the extension.

Now for the question: Who is to replace Juani Guirado? The Ceres centerback has called it a day for his international career. We have quite a few choices. We could look for experience of Ali Borromeo, who is playing very well for Kaya, especially with so many young players to teach. We could also go for youth in Luke Woodland, whom Dooley was grooming to replace Rob Gier or Guirado, but, as shown in last night’s match, is slightly rash, if enthusiastic. We could also push Simone Rota or Stephan Palla into the CB position, or even put James Younghusband into centerback.

Match Verdict:

Even with so many players retired or injured, including mainstays Phil Younghusband, Stephan Schrock, Patrick Reichelt, Rob Gier, Paul Mulders, and Jerry Lucena, our team rallied and stepped up. Though the team has some room for improvement, mainly in our back line, we can certainly build and grow from this great night in Philippine football, and who knows? We may be celebrating the AFF Suzuki Cup in December.

 

 

Philippines vs Bahrain: Match Preview

The Azkals takes on Bahrain tonight in Manama.

After a decent result in Pyongyang, where we drew 0-0 with DPR Korea, we now travel to the Middle Eastern country to start the second batch of games in the group’s double round-robin format.

The Philippines last played Bahrain at home in Bocaue four months ago, last June 11, winning 2-1. Goals from Misagh Bahadoran and Javier Patino doing the damage for the Azkals before Abdulwahab Al Malood pulled back a consolation for Bahrain.

Bahrain’s last game was a 0-4 loss at home to Uzbekistan, meaning that they now have a Win-Loss-Draw record of 1-3-0 and are fourth in the group, a place but four points behind us.

We must beat Bahrain, if we still want a chance at stealing second place.

The game will be hard, not only because of the hot desert climate, but also that Bahrain are at home. The Philippines played a friendly against Bahrain in late March this year and lost 1-2.

Dooley’s tactical tinkering continued against DPR Korea, keeping faith in Neil Etheridge, pushing Luke Woodland to the left back slot, inserting Jerry Lucena into the defence, putting Daisuke Sato into a more attacking left wing role, and replacing the injured Javier Patino with Patrick Reichelt.

Stephan Palla, who had missed the start of the match, was substituted on for Sato, and will probably start tomorrow in Manama.

Here’s my predicted starting XI:

(NOTE: These are players’ starting positions. Phil Younghusband plays a bit more infield, combining with Ott, who is more of an attacking midfielder, while Lucena drops back a bit more to shield the defence and control the game, and Palla plays a bit more centrally.)

Dooley said he will start Stephan Schrock in the striker role, another example of his tactical tinkering. I suspect, though, that Schrock will play, not as Javier Patino’s traditional “number 9” centre forward role, but in a drifting “false 9” position, dropping back into midfield to get more of the ball and allowing Bahadoran and/or Steuble to drift inside.

Iain Ramsay, who had a relatively quiet game against North Korea, is relegated to the bench as a potential impact substitute. Instead, the man who came on for him against North Korea, Misagh Bahadoran, will start, but will switch to the opposite wing, with Martin Steuble filling in on the right.

Daisuke Sato, who played well on the left wing last Thursday, is expected to resume the same role, while Luke Woodland sits behind him.

Amani Aguinaldo sits in the heart of the defence, with Stephan Palla flanking him.

Neil Etheridge, who was solid in Pyongyang, starts in goal.

The Philippines should be a bit more clinical with their chances. Last game in Pyongyang, the Azkals had several chances but failed to convert. That’s where we missed Javier Patino, who is very clinical in front of goal.

Long range shooting should also be used. The Philippines took several long range efforts against DPR Korea, but most of them were off target. As mentioned in a previous article, ranged shooting can be useful if the defence is too compact to attack from close range.

This will be a tough match. We will need to play at our best, and hopefully, leave Bahrain with three points.

Philippines vs Bahrain will show tonight, October 13, 2015, LIVE, on ABS-CBN Sports+Action, from 10:45 PM.

Credit to Cedelf Tupas and his Inquirer posts. I got a lot of information for this article from his posts on Inquirer Sports.

Read his Philippines vs. North Korea post match article here: http://sports.inquirer.net/196042/match-ratings-philippines-vs-north-korea 

Read his article on Schrock being deployed by Dooley as striker here: http://sports.inquirer.net/196186/schrock-thrives-in-shock-troop-role

Philippines vs DPR Korea: Match Preview

The Philippines will look to bounce back from the dreadful defeat to Uzbekistan with a win here in Pyongyang.

If you ask me, it’s one of the worst times to face DPR Korea. On the back of a demoralising 5-1 reverse at home,  we have to face them in one of the most intimidating environments in modern football. No doubt, the 50,000 seater Kim Il-Sung stadium will be packed with home fans, who filled the stadium in the DPRK’s 4-2 over Uzbekistan.

Now to business. The Philippines will miss forward Javier Patino to a hamstring problem. He said he was injured for this match, but might be available for the October 13 Bahrain game.

The Azkals also misses Simone Rota, who, despite training with the team during their camps in Philippines and China, is still in his last stages of recovery from the broken ribs he sustained in the August 25 UFL Cup Semifinal between Stallion and Kaya.

The good news is, Rob Gier is back and seems to be fit. We’ll be needing his defensive experience for the game against DPR Korea.

Global FC’s Azkals contingent, which includes Daisuke Sato, Amani Aguinaldo, Misagh Bahadoran, Paolo Bugas, Patrick Deyto, and Dennis Villanueva, has arrived in North Korea, albeit fatigued, after Global’s Singapore Cup loss to Japanese J-League side Albirex Niigata.

This presents a large problem. Not only will the team have limited time to train, but a a large part of it is fatigued and jet lagged. Somehow, the players have to be on the top of their physical and mental game for the match, which will test every Azkal on the pitch. The match will be every bit as hard as the Uzbekistan game, factoring in the fatigue, short time of training, and hostile environment.

Still, our team is strong, despite the losses of Patino and Rota.

Despite the poor game against Uzbekistan, Dooley has decided on retaining his 3-4-3/5-4-1 formation.

Here’s how I think we will start in Pyongyang:

(NOTE: Schrock and Steuble play a bit more infield, but that will be their starting position.)

Phil Younghusband steps into his old centre-forward role, with Patino out injured. Steuble steps out in his place, though, instead of him, Kevin Ingreso might start instead, either playing in that role directly or partnering Jerry Lucena in the centre of midfield, pushing Manny Ott into attacking midfield, just about where Phil Younghusband was.

Schrock, after the brilliant strike against Uzbekistan, should start there in attacking midfield.

The experienced Rob Gier should start in the heart of the defence, in lieu of Aguinaldo or Woodland, with Palla and Sato playing wide of him.

After Etheridge’s shaky performance after the Uzbekistan match, Roland Muller should start between the posts.

Here could be an alternate formation:

Phil Younghusband moves back into his old role when Patino plays, with Reichelt playing centre-forward.

Again, Ingreso can step into centre-midfield for either Ott or Lucena.

The more experienced Ott might be the better choice, because he gives us an extra dimension in play, and can shoot from distance, something we have seemed to lack during the last three games. Of the five goals we have scored, four have been inside ten meters from the goal, the only exception being Schrock’s thirty-meter blast against Uzbekistan. Actually, Dooley should start allowing players to shoot from outside the box, where we have plenty of weapons, particularly Daisuke Sato, but also Manny Ott, Phil Younghusband, and Stephan Schrock.

Shooting from distance can be useful, especially during situations such as the Uzbekistan game where the players cannot get close-range chances.

Dooley should also allow Phil Younghusband to play a bit closer to goal, to let him display his attacking skill, especially in formations where he is playing in midfield and not in his old role as forward. If he can get forward, he can cause havoc in good defences and draw defenders towards him, freeing up the other players such as Schrock, Bahadoran, and Ramsay.

We have faced North Korea before, during the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup.

The Philippines lost 2-0, despite Etheridge saving a North Korean penalty, goals from Pak Nam-Chol and Jang Kuk-Chol finished us in Kathmandu.

North Korea is no joke, especially at home. We’ll need all the skill of our players and all the help we can get if we can get out of Pyongyang with three points.

Good luck, Azkals.

Why football should be this country’s favourite sport

Philippine football has been growing by leaps and bounds since the Miracle of Hanoi five years ago.

The problem is that most Filipino fans have now been spoiled by the PBA’s (and basketball as a whole’s) instant gratification. This is because, unlike football, where patience is a virtue and where goals come few and far between, every single play in basketball could easily produce a point.

The truth is that we Filipinos will never win the FIBA World Cup. Ever. We’ve been playing the wrong sport for nearly half a century, and we’ve sacrificed international glory because of it. Basketball is a game for the tall, and, sadly for basketball fans, due to our genetics, we will never have a continually generating pool of talent if we insist on basketball.

The average height (for a Filipino male) is 163 centimetres, or just a bit over five feet, four inches, not nearly enough to be competitive at basketball’s world stage. Football, on the other hand, needs no minimum height at all to excel. The legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson named a chapter in his autobiography “Small but Beautiful”, referring to the FC Barcelona side he faced twice in three years, beaten both times. In the 2011 Champions Final, FC Barcelona’s starting forward line (Messi, Pedro, David Villa), plus two of the midfielders (Xavi and Andres Iniesta) beat Manchester United 3-1 in London. The five aforementioned players, who proved to be crucial in that game’s average heights were well below six feet.

Also, legends, such as Lionel Messi (5’7″), Gianfranco Zola (5’6″), Paul Scholes (5’6″), and Diego Maradona (5’5″) have been considered among the world’s top players in their respective times. Defenders completely hated  them, trying (and mostly failing) to neutralise them via physicality and terror tactics. Football is a game of skill, and though height and power may be useful, the Beautiful Game is certainly not totally dependent on them unlike basketball’s height-is-might game.

Filipinos, given the right support, can dominate this game.  We have a higher population than the last three FIFA World Cup winners, Germany (80 million), Spain (50 million), and Italy (60 million), and therefore a bigger talent pool. If a national football league was created forty years ago instead of the PBA, where would we be? Our league would be at least as good as the leading Asian leagues by now (possibly better), reached at least the FIFA World Cup group stage, and possibly even have won the Asian Cup by now. Which now begs the question: If we became a football country right now, and football was supported by all, in how many years could we win the FIFA World Cup? It could be in thirty, fifty, or sixty years but we could win it.

If you ask me, waiting for sixty years is better than not winning anything at all.

With all due respect to basketball, you’re the wrong sport.

Azkals 2-0 Yemen: Match Analysis

The Azkals blanked Yemen in Doha last night.

Second-half goals from Misagh Bahadoran and Iain Ramsay gave the Azkals the lead and brought them to joint top in the group, alongside North Korea.

This is what the group looks like right now, after Match days 1 and 2:

PLD PTS W L D GD

1. Philippines     2       6    2  0  0  +3

2. DPR Korea     2       6    2   0 0   +3

3. Uzbekistan     2       3    1    1 0   -1

4. Bahrain           1       0    0   1 0   -1

5. Yemen             2       0    0   2 0   -3

The Azkals and North Korea lead the group, with the exact amount of points and goal difference.

I’m not sure who’s top of the group officially. Korea DPR has scored more goals, but we’ve conceded less.

Our win over Yemen showed some convincing signs and some concerns.

The Azkals lined up in the same formation that we saw in the Bahrain match, but with  

two major changes.

The first change was that Dooley inserted newcomer Luke Woodland straight into the starting lineup at centerback, in place of Rob Gier, who played the last match.

The second change was on the flanks.

Bahadoran was placed on the right wing instead of the injured Stephan Schrock, which meant that Steuble played behind the striker, Patino.

Phil Younghusband and Steuble played alongside in the attacking midfield role, but strangely, Phil played in a deeper position than Steuble.

For the last few articles, we’ve been talking about Younghusband’s new, deeper role, but here, in this match?

Sometimes, when Ott and Lucena were up, he was playing the role of a defensive shield, the sort of player that employs bullyboy tactics and physicality to break up the opposition’s attacking plays.

Phil used these aforementioned tactics a few times in the match, and narrowly evaded bookings several times.

There was also a small change in our back line.

In the match against Bahrain, Daisuke Sato was the wingback, and Stephan Palla played sweeper, pressing into the midfield with possession to start the plays. In today’s match, the players’ roles were reversed.  Sato played sweeper, and Palla played wingback. Palla would make these penetrating runs on the left for our playmakers to pick out, while Sato started the plays. It was a good tactical change, as Palla played well, a constant thorn on the side of Yemen offensively.

The match was a team performance. Sato, Etheridge, and Woodland played solidly at the back, while Lucena and Ott retained possession and orchestrated the plays.

Steuble was a pest to Yemen. He played a role in the first goal, his throw in to Javier Patino starting the brilliant passing interchange between him and Bahadoran.

“Lord” Misagh Bahadoran, formerly ridiculed for shooting blanks for the Azkals, banged in a brilliant individual goal, his second in as many games, after combining with Patino, then bamboozling Mohammed Fouad with his dizzying turn and shoot. Iain Ramsay scored too, tapping in from Patino’s cross to nick his first international goal.

All the players played well, but Javier Patino always played a tad better than the others. Though the Fil-Spaniard didn’t score today, he set up both goals, and deserved a goal. He almost scored twice, but he headed over after being found by Ramsay in the first half,and smashed his shot wide in the second half.

But if there were ups in this game, there were also downs.The Philippines should really have been more clinical, as we missed a lot of good chances, this fault being exemplified by Patrick Reichelt. The substitute, just on for Misagh Bahadoran ran into the box as Ramsay dragged a shot at Mohammed Ayash, the Yemen keeper. Ayash palmed it straight into the path of Reichelt, and with the goal at his mercy, just eight feet out and Ayash in no position to save again, blasted OVER. 

How did he miss that? Reichelt seemed a bit rusty in that play.

Another worry was that the Azkals were a bit shaky in defending, not like the rock-solid display we had against Bahrain (at least until Rob Gier was subbed off). We were lucky that Yemen was unable to punish us. But we will be punished by Korea DPR, Bahrain, or Uzbekistan if we make mistakes.  Dooley should concentrate on our man-marking.

In other news, this group was just blasted wide open when DPR Korea beat Uzbekistan 4-2 in Pyongyang.  The Koreans were already 4-0 up by the end of the first half, before the Uzbeks pegged them back, but were unable to come all the way back. This group is full of surprises. Let’s hope we can pull off surprises, too.

Our next match is at home, against Uzbekistan, on September 8. Mark your calendars.

Good luck, Azkals, for the rest of your 2018 World Cup Qualifying campaign.

Match Report: Loyola Meralco Sparks 3-3 Kaya FC

Termed the UFL’s equivalent to the PBA’s Manila Clasico by TV5 commentator Jing Jamlang, the two rivals impressed in a battling thriller yesterday evening.

This is one of the most ill-tempered derbies in Philippine football, and last night was no exception, the referee dishing out eight yellow cards and one red card in this game.

Loyola were without coach Simon McMenemy and assistant Gil Talavera after both were sent off in the previous match versus Ceres, meaning manager Armand Del Rosario sat in the hot seat for the Sparks.

Kaya were also without a coach, with Adam Reekie resigning during the Holy Week break, with Chris Greatwich taking the reins.

The two teams started the game by trading chances, Phil Younghusband, Kenshiro Daniels and OJ Porteria all coming close.

Phil Younghusband opened the scoring on thirteen minutes, faking twice past his marker before blasting home past Nick O’Donnell, but Kaya equalised thirteen minutes later, as Louis Clark pounced on a Loyola error and slotted home past Tomas Trigo.

Loyola lost Adam Mitter through injury midway through the half, with Yves Ashime coming on for the Englishman.

But Loyola had the worst player possible sent off after Phil Younghusband was booked for complaining then sent off moments later for going straight into the back of Miguel Tanton in the thirty-first minute.

Two quick-fire goals then ensued, with Lee Joo Young scoring from James Younghusband’s ball a minute after PYH’s red card before OJ Porteria scored three minutes later to cap off a frenetic first period as Graham Caygill had a goal disallowed for offside late into the half.

The second half started just as fast, as Jovin Bedic had his goal struck off by the ref for a foul inside the area.

Bedic didn’t have to fret over that one too long, as Porteria found him from the cutback just nine minutes later, and he struck past Tomas Trigo to give Kaya the lead.

Louis Clark almost got his second, but the assistant’s flag was up for offside as he rounded the Loyola custodian.

Loyola kept trying, daring to attack despite being down to ten men, and levelled the scoring again, as Lee Joo Young swung in his free kick.

Anthony Putrus-Schnell was first to it, and he poked past Nick O’Donnell in the seventy-sixth minute to equalise again.

Kaya put in some pressure to try and get the three points, but Joshua Beloya’s chance with Trigo beaten was denied by Yves Ashime’s wonder tackle to save the Sparks.

Kaya tried some more, but Loyola held for the draw and ensured that the two worthy teams split the points.