A Preview of the Azkals vs. Al-Azraq

WARNING: The views here are solely mine and not the team's. As is the line up. Coach will make his game time decisions.

A Preview of the Azkals vs. Al-Azraq

by rick olivares

KUWAIT

Nawaf Al Khaldi

Yaqoub Al Taher    Hussain Fadel    Musaed Neda    Amer Maataouq

Fahad Al Enezi    Talal Al Amer    Jarah Al Ateeqi    Waleed Ali

Bader Al Mutwa    Yousef Nasser*

Phil Younghusband

Chieffy Caligdong   Angel Guirado   James Younghusband

Manuel Ott   Jason de Jong

Ray Jonsson   Rob Gier   Anton del Rosario   Jason Sabio

Neil Etheridge

PHILIPPINES

The Kuwait Men’s Football National Team will be playing to a packed home field at the Qadsia Stadium (the Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium). Look for them to feed off the energy of the home crowd as they try to book a slot to the next round of the Asian Qualifiers of the 2014 World Cup.

This team is taking no chances in their preparations for the Philippines. They scouted the visitors in Sri Lanka, Manila, and Bahrain. They have familiarized themselves with our players and style of play.

Al Azraq runs a basic 4-4-2 formation with the wingers joining up in the attack so they have four men upfront. They leave the two central mids in the middle third to stop any counters.

Bader Al-Mutwa has been with Kuwait’s national team for as long as Aly Borromeo, Chieffy Caligdong, Anton del Rosario, and Roel Gener have been with the Azkals (since 2003). In that time, he has amassed 36 goals in 106 caps. The man is considered the biggest Kuwaiti footballer alive today. Speaking with the locals in the past few days, they revere him.

But do not equate him to Phil Younghusband. He plays normally behind either Khalaf Al Salama or Fahad Al-Rishidi but injuries have promoted Nasser to the first team. Bader functions better that way as he is able to feed off on assists or poach on rebounds. But make no mistake, he can manufacture his own goals.

This team is dangerous in the first half of the match where they attack and attack. Waleed Ali and Fahad Al Enezi link up rather dangerously with Bader. The energy they expend early on doesn’t mean that they lose steam in the end, but I figure that teams adjust to what they are doing early on. So it is imperative that the Philippines holds them off in the first half of play.

The Kuwaitis have a tendency to dive so we have to be extremely careful. Especially in and around the box.

Their players are quick and love to pick apart opposing midfielders by quickly sending a rover to help dispossess him the ball. 

What can we exploit? I think it can be summed up in this – focus.

They play with a lot of temperament (see their matches against Lebanon and China). They dive, whine, and at times do not chase down balls when they clearly can (read: lazy). They can be good offensively but they can lose their focus when bothered by calls and non-calls. Uzbekistan exposed their left flank. And obviously, that is something we can exploit.

Their keeper sometimes plays with butterfingers. Bringing pressure on him could hurt them. They aren’t particularly good at defending corners so this where the Azkals can utilize Anton del Rosario and Angel Guirado (we're missing Aly here). And in the recent Asian Cup, they gave up five goals from set pieces. Their wall isn’t set up right and goalkeeper doesn’t make good reads. Remember Chieffy Caligdong's set piece that Nate Burkey headed in Sri Lanka? The Azkals' co-captain could be on target with his FKs.

On the third night of the Filipinos’ stay in Kuwait, the heat was somewhat stifling in the evening. The team has shown that they have the legs for it but in a high intensity match, we’re about to find out. What they need is lots of water and Gatorade plus a damp towel to wipe their face with every chance they get. The humidity leaves them parched.

If we can hold off Kuwait’s attack and frustrate them, anything can happen.

The Philippines enters this match as massive underdogs. Not since Vietnam and Indonesia have we faced such odds. And truthfully, the Philippines plays better as underdogs.

Having followed this team closely for six years now, the single biggest difference today – is their confidence. Before, and you may ask guys like Chieffy about this – on the way to the opposing team’s venue, they already knew they were going to take some lumps and a butt kicking in between. Not anymore. They may not win every game, but for the Philippine Men’s Football National Team, they’ve got the confidence, Dan Palami, top-notch training, the massive support, and best of all, quality players on the squad.

Sometimes, in the light of the lack of experience and more seasoning, that can make a world of difference.

Ask Vietnam and Singapore. 




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Possible options: 
- Angel Guirado at target man with Phil playing behind.
- Roel Gener starting in the back four.


What the Filipino community is Kuwait is worried about:
- The lack of info regarding ticket sales. Word is more tickets will be sold on game day at the stadium. But that's nothing sure.
- Security. I sure hope it was better than last night at Qadsia during the last practice.