Hope springs eternal for Azkals

MANILA, Philippines –  Two former national coaches said yesterday the Philippines is still in serious contention to make it to the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup finals but admitted that beating Indonesia is a tall order in the climax of the two-leg semifinals at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

Indonesia nipped the Azkals, 1-0, on naturalized player Cristian (El Loco) Gonzales’ header in what should have been a home match for the Philippines last Thursday. The Philippines forfeited its right to host one of two semifinal matches because not a single pitch in the country meets the AFF standards.

The second match is scheduled tonight and will be the regular home game for Indonesia. As a result of the Philippines’ forfeiture of its hosting rights, the semifinals has turned out to be an away-and-away series for the Azkals. AFF vice president Johnny Romualdez explained that under tournament rules, the Philippines will advance to the finals outright if it beats Indonesia by at least two goals in the second match. If the Philippines wins by a goal, an extension of two 15-minute periods will be played with the Azkals earning two points for every “away” marker. If at the end of overtime, the aggregate points are even then the outcome will be settled by a shootout. If the match winds up a scoreless draw, Indonesia moves to the finals.

Juan Cutillas and Aris Caslib, two former national coaches, agreed that despite the odds, the Philippines could pull the rug from under Indonesia.

“We have a chance,” said Cutillas, a Spanish native who came to the Philippines in 1963 and was the national coach for 12 years. “We can surprise Indonesia. In the first match, Indonesia controlled the midfield with good passing. They scored a lucky shot. It happens and in football, all you need is one goal to win. It’s tough to beat Indonesia because they’re very quick. If we open up and go for the ball, we expose ourselves in the back. We’re good in high balls because height is our advantage. If we’re able to penetrate the penalty box and make our play 35 yards out, we could get lucky. Our backline must push forward but we must get back quick.”

Cutillas said the Azkals’ best player in Thursday’s match was Aly Borromeo but goalkeeper Neil Etheridge was clearly above class. “Neil is our asset,” he said. “Indonesia is a well-organized team that likes to play high tempo. They run a lot. They’re very fit and their bench is deep. They’re not dirty players but they play physical. In one-on-one plays, they have the advantage of fitness.”

Cutillas said the Philippines had at least two clear opportunities to score in the first half but lost steam in the second. “Our back four are tall and strong,” he said. “Indonesia resorted to crosses because our defense held up. It’s unfortunate that our midfielders tired and couldn’t cope with Indonesia’s rhythm. Still, we played a very good game.”

Cutillas said Gonzales’ goal was freakish as Etheridge broke out to stop the Uruguayan only to be inadvertently blocked by a Filipino defender whose back was to the goalkeeper. “It was a problem of communication,” said Cutillas. “Etheridge should’ve called it. But it’s nobody’s fault. The ball hit the post and went in.”

Cutillas said the Azkals’ depth issue is critical. “Our Armed Forces players are the only full-timers among the locals on the team,” he said. “Take away our Fil-foreigners and there aren’t too many left capable of playing international standards. The positive note is in the UAAP, there are several tall and strong players from FEU, UST and other schools. You see a lot of potential in the college ranks for future national players.”

Caslib, the Philippine Football Federation technical director, said it was obvious that the Azkals were well-scouted by Indonesia.

“Chris Greatwich was checked and had very few chances,” said Caslib. “We had good chances in the first half but couldn’t exploit the possibilities. I think we’re still jelling. We need to communicate better and that’s because our team wasn’t complete until the start of the tournament. I consider Indonesia’s 1-0 win an upset because they were supposed to beat us badly. We’re still in the running.”

Caslib said the Azkals must make adjustments to be more competitive in tonight’s match.

“We’re not losing anything by taking chances,” he said. “I think we need to look at our bench, check which players we can play early to save our best for last. We should look hard at our team lineup. We’ve got to have more energy down the stretch. We need to preserve our best players because their bench is deeper than ours.”

Caslib said Indonesia is so deep that veteran striker Bambang Pamungkas comes off the bench.

“We might also consider shifting some players to keep Indonesia guessing,” said Caslib. “James Younghusband, for instance, could move to right wing where he is stronger. We could use Chieffy Caligdong on the left side where we are a bit weak. We need our midfield to get more involved in transition. The key is how to utilize our subs. And if we’re able to change some of our positions, we might improve our chances to win. We have no problem dealing with their physicality. We can play up to their level. Our defense is strong but if we want to advance, we’ve got to step up our attack and put pressure on the Indonesian backline.”

Caslib said he has confidence in coach Simon McMenemy making the right decisions on how to approach the match tonight. “Coach Simon will know what to do, what adjustments to make,” he said. “We showed in the first match, we are competitive against Indonesia. If we keep our players in their strongest position and we are able to preserve our best players for the final push by utilizing our bench, we might just beat Indonesia.”