Azkals coach not pushing panic button despite consecutive setbacks

MANILA, Philippines – In a span of four days, the Philippine Azkals fell again, this time to the visiting North Korea squad, 1-3, after losing to Bahrain with an identical score. This is an international friendly in preparation for the upcoming Suzuki Cup to be co-hosted by Myanmar and Philippines.

“There is no panicking. We made those games to see what we really want. You only learn when you lose games,” mentioned by Azkals coach Thomas Dooley.

Even if the Suzuki Cup is a month away, coach Dooley added that “there is still time to change that and time for different ways. If the Suzuki Cup was held tomorrow, it would be a bigger concern.”

“The players must realize this is no dream world. This is an eye opener for everyone. There are some players who don’t know where to position themselves during long balls. The players should also realize why other teams are stronger, more fit and why they can run for 90 minutes and you can’t,” he said.

Dooley also narrated his experiences playing for the United States national football team in the 1994 and 1998 World Cup and how it has helped him in his professional career.