A missed & a golden opportunity
by rick olivares
I have mixed emotions following
the Philippines’ scoreless draw with Singapore last night to open their Suzuki
Cup campaign.
A point notwithstanding, it was
disappointing because the Philippine Men’s football National Team is perfectly
capable of beating Singapore whether they are at full strength or not. And they
have done that in the past. But even as Singapore went down to 10 men when
Hafiz Sujad was shown the red card for a high boot that caught Azkals captain
Phil Younghusband on the chin, they remained resolute in their defense.
The Philippines had lots of
chances to win this except they weren’t able to finish.
On the other hand, I cannot but
help but think how times have changed. Singapore is a more defensive unit. In
fact, Lions coach V. Sundramoorthy lined up eight
defensive-minded players packing that five-man midfield to prevent the slick
passing game of the Azkals.
The
match had me thinking of the time during the 2010 Suzuki Cup when the two
nations faced each other in Vietnam to open their campaigns. That also ended in
a draw, albeit, 1-1. It was a disappointing result for Singapore that night as
they had that roster that would eventually win the regional title two years
later. Six years later, it is us who feels the disappointment because now, the
Philippines faces powerhouse Thailand on Monday night and dangerous and
unpredictable Indonesia this Wednesday.
Six
years ago, Singapore complained about the Philippines parking the bus against
them then getting sucker punched with a late goal by Chris Greatwich. Funny how
times have changed. It was Singapore parking the bus this time around even when
they were at full strength (even if they got the first chance of the match).
And their defensive discipline and willingness to foul bothered the creative
Philippine players.
The
other difference is that the Philippines has gotten really better roster and
talent-wise.
Somethings
I want to point out:
I
like the idea of the evolution of Phil Younghusband playing that deep-playing
midfielder ala Andrea Pirlo or Steve Gerrard and finding teammates with those
long and short passes. The work ethic was exceptional on both offense and
defense. He even got a boot to the chin for his willingness to battle for every
ball.
Stephan
Schrock is an exceptional talent. From the moment of his introduction to the
first team versus Sri Lanka in the World Cup Qualifiers of 2011, he has made
things happen. And he once more did with his runs, passes, and crosses against
Singapore.
Hikaru
Minageshi was that impact substitution as he had lovely chances but he was
unable to convert.
And
the defense (Amani Aguinaldo and company) was very good.
As
good as the Azkals are, I’d like to see them play faster and with ore intent.
Meaning, from kick off, attack and test their keeper. Yes, there were Schrock’s
free kicks and Minageshi’s shots from close range but you’d like to see Lions
net minder Hassan Sunny constantly tested with shots causing havoc on
Singapore’s back four. I think when faced with resolute defending, balls in the
box cause all sorts of problems. This is where you poach goals.
Anyways,
the game is in the bag. So it’s a point, two less than we’d like. And on
Tuesday, November 22, we’re up against Indonesia. That isn’t going to be easy.
They are in flux but dangerous considering they gave Thailand fits in the
second half of their Suzuki Cup opener.
Speaking
of Thailand, the War Elephants were impressive too except that their
concentration lapsed as Indonesia made a game of it in the second half.
In my
observation, Thailand is very good offensively but are suspect defensively.
They tend to leak goals and they just try to beat you with a shootout. If the
Azkals can force the action in their own half, the War Elephants will be less
adventurous. The Philippines just has to be ready for the counter. And of
course, one has to be mindful of Thai forward Teerasil Dangda who is superb in
and around the box and is good at making defenders look like traffic cones.
I
think we can beat Thailand. It will not be easy. Definitely not. The game just has
to be snatched and grabbed from the opening kick. It is best when the Thais are
put on the defensive.
Since
this current team came up in 2012, Thailand is 10-0 when they score first. They
are 1-1-2 when the opposition scores first.
When
the Philippine team talks about the Suzuki Cup, it isn’t about making the
semi-finals. We have in the last three stages of the competition. It’s all
about making the finals and winning it. If the PMNT wants to declare its
intent, more than playing before the home crowd, why not take down a titan of
the regional game?
The
shot heard around the world was beating Vietnam, 2-nil, in Hanoi in 2010. They
were the defending champs.
It
can happen again.
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