This appears in interaksyon.com
The Azkals
score some points off a draw with Chinese Taipei
by rick olivares
photo by craig burrows and pinoyfootball
photo by craig burrows and pinoyfootball
How many of you were disappointed by
the scoreless draw between the Philippines and Chinese Taipei?
I was. But juuuuust… a little bit.
Actually, I came away from the match
thinking that the positives far outweighed the negatives.
For one, I thought that the coaching
staff came out with a great game plan. More often than not, Phil Younghusband
is a marked man because of his prodigious scoring talent. It was fun to see him
play the far right as well as the role of facilitator early in the first half.
Right there, you could see what an exceptional talent he is blazing down the
flanks and outracing a couple of defenders. And he was successful in sending
several crosses inside that went right through Taipei’s defense.
I guess that one day practice between
games for a change in strategy isn’t enough for others to automatically thunder
down the middle for a header or a volley. One is accustomed to seeing Phil
finish off a perfectly laid pass by James Younghusband or Super Chief.
But Phil playing wide definitely threw
the home team around for a loop.
Unfortunately, Taipei’s threw us one
as well. And television anchor Bob Guerrero described it in the most spot on
manner: “There are more divers here in the Chinese Taipei team than in Anilao
on a Saturday morning.”
The Chinese fell at the slightest bump
or nudge. When that player tried to tackle James Younghusband late in the game,
the Fil-Briton saw it coming and he jumped high to avoid it. As gravity did its
job, James fell down on the player. The Chinese player crouched and looked at
the ref in hopes that the Philippine midfielder would get carded. When none was
forthcoming, he rolled over and writhed in pain.
Not only should he be given a yellow
card for diving but a trophy as well for the Best Actor Award.
Frustrated by the tactic, the home
team tried to pull a fast one with quick plays. Luckily for the Filipinos, they
were alert. But how many fouls were called on the Azkals? I lost count at 10.
And considering it was the home team
that was playing, I thought we were darn lucky that the linesman whistled
midfielder Lo Chih-an for being offside because had his strike at the 75th
minute stood, we were goners. They would have surely parked that bus to Anilao in
front of their goal.
At the half, the team made their
adjustments and the Azkals went on the attack.
And here is what I like overall:
1.
Neckson Leonora. The day after the draw with Hong Kong, I had lunch with Bob Guerrero at
Gateway. He asked me what I thought and I said that I thought that Matthew
Hartmann was playing out of position. He replied and said na manipis yung line
up and I said then they should insert Leonora. I’ve seen the kid play for San
Beda and his native Iloilo. Not only is he a rock at centerback (his more
natural position) but he also takes their long range free kicks and is good in
linking up for the attack. Once inside the box, he is dangerous in the air
where he can nail flatfooted goalkeepers with a header or a bicycle kick.
Leonora’s insertion into the starting XI meant that
Hartmann could move to his more natural midfield position. And more
importantly, if he could sustain that type of game, then the coaching staff
would have found a perfect substitute for Ray Jonsson when he is unavailable.
2.
The ground game. I am not talking about Chinese Taipei’s ground hugging tactics. I liked
the short passing game of the Philippines where for the first time, I saw them
stringing up at least four of five (and sometimes even more) passes before going
on the attack. They were more patient this time as they did not hesitate to
pass it back to the defenders who have a better view of the action.
The home side may have had the ball 60% of the time
during the first half but come the last 45 minutes (including the mysterious
three minutes of added time), the Azkals were able to dictate the pace of the
game and seize control of the midfield. Once they are able to play that way
more consistently, we will see better finishes.
3.
Quality substitutions. This time, the nationals’ head coach Michael Weiss went
to his bench early. And what fines ones as well. The insertion of midfielder
Jeffrey Christiaens (at the start of the second half) and Lexton Moy (in the 70th
minute) were not only timely but were also the right choices. Both provided a
massive dose of energy to the overall effort.
The
Nationals assistant coach Edwin Cabalida likens Christiaens as a younger
Caligdong and true enough, he worked well from the left flank or flying down
the middle. He nearly assisted Phil on a volley as well. Maybe he should have
taken that shot instead of passing off but had Phil scored, the 20-year
Fil-Belgian would have been a genius. Ditto with Weiss.
5.
Chieffy Caligdong’s presence. The Barotacnon was a marked man just like Phil.
Twice he got tackled and each time he took a little time to get up. That says
something about his importance. While Christiaens did his best to fill in what
the Azkals co-captain gives on the field, Caligdong is inspirational and
downright skilled.
During one sequence where he was able to get a shot
off while straddling close to the touchline parallel to Chinese Taipei’s goal.
Had he gotten a little more lift and curve to it and send it to the far post,
he might have even scored another goal.
It would have been nice to get three
points from this match but the scoreless drew gave the Philippines one point
for a total of two in the same number of matches.
Hong Kong, by virtue of its 5-1
thrashing of Macau saw them accrue five points in two matches; the same as
Chinese Taipei. But the #155 ranked Hong Kong are atop the leader board because
of a superior goal difference (8-3).
For the Philippines to claim the 2011
Long Teng Cup, the Azkals must score at least five more goals that whatever Hong
Kong tallies in their final match against the home team. Should Hong Kong win
the match, whatever the goal tally of the Philippines will be moot and
academic.
The growth of the team continues. And
as I always say, any point you can come away with especially in an away game is
always good. And I think I just mentioned five points – good ones I might say
-- for the Philippines to ponder.
Good luck against Macau.
like all sports development programs, patience is a real virtue we must cultivate. It take time and practice to make perfect, just as Malcolm Gladwell wrote in the "Outliers"
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