Azkals Need to Sharpen Their Cutting Edge

First of all, my appreciation for Mr Jojo Malig of ABS-CBN News Bureau for the valuable link to a video live stream of the Philippine-Indonesia friendly match. Since moving to Lisbon, Portugal two and a half months ago, we have to start relying on the internet to be able to watch live Philippine football matches.

As for the match, there are no "ifs" and "buts" about it, Indonesia deserved their 2-0 victory against the Philippine Azkals. At first I was tempted to think that it was the quality of the video stream as our players seemed a bit sluggish, but it was very clear that the Indonesian players were quicker and livelier. They played more cohesively as well.

It was typical again of our team, a game of two halves. A slow start and a more improved performance in the second half. Still, even if fortune were on our side the most we could hopefully get would have been a draw basing on the quality of our game that evening. The Azkals had difficulty creating scoring chances while the Indonesians wasted a number of theirs. It was a fair result.

Anyway, this was a friendly match and the result isn't as important as the lessons and insights to be gained from the match. Let's keep that perspective and context in mind whenever we look back at this defeat. Of course not everyone will see it that way, but I am fairly hopeful that a growing number of Filipino football fans are developing a better appreciation of the sport in the sense that this defeat won't be seen as a sign that the sky is falling.

So what do we get out of this match? As I mentioned at the start of the article, our players seemed sluggish, especially in the first half. The Indonesians definitely looked more sharp and energetic. With the exception of a few such as Porteria, our players seemed out of sorts.

The number of misplaced passes by our team and the manner by which the Indonesians took control of the match shows that our cutting edge has dulled quite a bit. While the long ball has been an arsenal of our team, there was just one too many in this match and they looked more like wild clearances than deliberate attempts to get behind the Indonesian defensive line. Hardly any good and clear chances were created in the final third of the opposition half, especially in the first half where the lineup was filled by our seasoned veterans.  I think former Azkals coach Simon McMenemy best described our team's performance: "disjointed." It certainly looked that way.

Sure, it will be argued that if we had all our top players available such as Schrock, Patiño, Cagara, Juani Guirado, Jonsson and De Jong to name a few, the outcome might have been different. That is of course very possible, IF they were available. However, they weren't available and that is the reality of the game. Whether through injury, club commitment or any other reason, national teams always have to be prepared for the situation that not all key players will be available. This cannot be an excuse. Those running the team and Philippine football authorities should do all they can to ensure that there are enough quality, fit and in-form players available for call-up whenever there is a match. 

It's not as if there wasn't quality and experience in the team that lost to Indonesia. The starting eleven were seasoned veterans and regular fixtures in the team. While the decision of Coach Weiss to play some players out of position may have been a factor for the first goal against us, the adjustment made in the second half was more positive. 

Is this perhaps a question of fitness and form then? I think it was a significant factor in that match. The UFL where most of the players in the team for this match ply their trade ended its season several weeks ago while the Indonesian football league is still going on. While there may have been a few matches and training sessions here and there after the UFL season for our players, the Indonesian national team had several matches both official and friendly since the start of the year. A number of those were against top European clubs on their preseason training phase. It was apparent from this match that the Indonesians were more fit and in better playing form than our players.

Photo via Philippine Star

Considering that the Philippines will be competing in the AFC Challenge Cup and the next edition of the Suzuki Cup next year, our team and football officials should better start thinking of how to keep our players sharp and in top playing form by the start of those competitions. While the UFL has been doing a great job in providing our local based players with competitive match experience, the league is still small and there are not that many matches a season, even if we include the cup competitions. The entry of UFL clubs in the Singapore Cup and the AFC President's Cup is a good development. It will provide competitive matches for some of the players plus valuable experience against good clubs in the region. However, much more is needed to sharpen our team's cutting edge, especially for our local based players.

A quick look on Wikipedia on the list of fixtures of our national team provides a very significant insight. From January to August 15 of 2013, the Azkals have played only 5 matches so far, both competitive and friendlies. Now take a look at the competitive and friendly fixtures for the same period for 2011 and 2012, it is 17 and 15 matches respectively. In 2013, the Azkals have only played a third of the matches they played in a similar period in the past 2 years. Not only that, the team played against some pretty tough teams as well in 2011-2012. 

I think that data is quite revealing and team officials and the PFF better take note of that fact. It is good to hear that future friendlies are being arranged and the 2nd Peace Cup will be held. I also hope that rumors of an overseas training camp become reality. 

The Azkals need to regain the sharpness in their cutting edge. Sure, it may be possible in football to bludgeon your way to victory, but more often than not, precision is a more reliable approach to attaining success on the pitch. I do hope the team officials and the PFF take every opportunity to arrange matches for the Philippines. Time to get those Azkals' fangs and claws razor sharp once more.

15 August 2013, Moira G Gallaga©

Home and Away: Azkals vs Indonesia

It was supposed to be a friendly but one couldn't be faulted for thinking there was a lot more at stake. A bench clearing fracas and 3 red cards surely added to the passion and tension on the field of play. Well, considering that pride was at stake and both sides had points to prove, that alone ups the ante considerably. A rivalry in the making perhaps? I wouldn't mind at all, because to be embroiled in a football rivalry is a sign that our national team is being taken seriously by its opponent.

In the end, the Philippine - Indonesia match ended in a 2-2 draw. For us, this was supposed to be the payback for the home game we never had against the Indonesians at the semifinals of the 2010 Suzuki Cup, though it wasn't the Indonesia's fault our team had to face a hostile environment twice. You can thank the previous regime at the PFF for that debacle. Indonesia beat us on both legs 1-0 and the "what if we had one leg of that semi played at home" has been foremost on most minds of Filipino football supporters. The Tuesday night clash against Indonesia at home was expected to provide an answer, some form of closure to that lingering question out of the recent past. Never mind that our national team, the Azkals, have come a long way from then, achieved historical milestones for Philippine football and improved considerably over a short period of time. Never mind if the current teams are so different from the ones that clashed 2 years ago. No, this was a time of reckoning for the Philippines, payback of some sort.

Indonesia on the other hand had more current concerns and a much different point to prove coming into this clash. That Suzuki Cup semis 2 years ago for them was likely a thing of the past. They have bigger problems" at the moment. They run the risk of missing out on the 2012 Suzuki Cup this year due to off-field problems that could find their Federation suspended from international competitions. Problems brought about by a rift in their domestic league has spilled over and affected their national team. As a result, they have a very young squad and one very much different that lost to Malaysia at the Suzuki Cup finals 2 years ago. You wouldn't be too far off if you described the Indonesian football situation as one in turmoil. For the Indonesians, this match was about making a statement that they are still in contention that they are still among Southeast Asia's (pardon the pun) top dogs despite their off-field problems.

Photo via interaksyon.com

So the stage was set, 2 teams out to make a statement. A strong and vastly improved Philippine team with almost all key players available, facing a slightly young and inexperienced Indonesian side. The script for this dramatic clash was calling for a victory for the Philippine side; all the elements were in place for such a result. Well, that's football for you and the beauty of this game, it doesn't follow scripts. This game loves to throw monkey wrenches into well laid out plans and scenarios, and whether we know it or not, is most probably the reason why we all love this game so much.

As it turned out, our Azkals had to fight back and display that dogged (this time pun intended) determination once again to equalize twice to come out with a draw for this match. What was hoped to be a moment of glory turned out to be a sigh of relief. We could have won this match, we should have but we didn't. A Philippine victory over Indonesia in football will have to wait until the next opportunity we face them.

Disappointing, perhaps yes because our team were clearly dominant this time, had better percentage of ball possession and more numerous and better chances at goal. Wait, the Philippines dominated and controlled most of the match had more shots at goal and greater ball possession against Indonesia? Well, that's new. Not only that, our Coach fiddled around with the line-up and had 4 starters on the bench for the first half and put in 2 young kids (Ott and Angeles) in charge of holding central midfield.

People would say that it was weak Indonesia team, yet they led twice and we needed to grab a draw to salvage some pride. Well, that's exactly the point because I saw the match as a reversal of roles. For a change, we see the Azkals playing as the more dominant team against Indonesia who, strangely enough, were playing the way the Azkals do when faced with superior opponents. Indonesia were playing in a way you would expect an away team to play, cautious, defensive and waiting for an opportunity to take their chances on a counter-attack especially if the home team is effectively controlling the match. Sounds and looks familiar? Well yes, because the Azkals minus 3 key players were playing the same way away to a full strength Malaysia side in Kuala Lumpur just a few days before the match with Indonesia. I just love the irony in that, es futbol. The only difference in the 2-2 draw with Indonesia is that they made their few chances at goal count, 2 out of 4 to our 2 out of 10 shots at goal. In the Malaysia match, both sides failed to make any of their attempts to score count.

Some people will feel that it is the score line that matters. True to some extent, but this was a friendly. Heck, even in competitions, not even the better team wins. Ask Barcelona FC about their UEFA Champions League semifinal clash with eventual champions Chelsea and I'm sure they will agree with that point. I think the bigger picture we need to see from this match against Indonesia was that we were the better team in this match. Of course, there's still a lot of room for improvement and lots of work to do, but at the least this match also showed everyone what the Azkals are capable of on the pitch and how much they have progressed in just 2 years time. Need proof, just look at how the Indonesians played against our team. The Indonesians played like the underdog in this match, they did so because they knew coming into this match that the Azkals were the better team even if they wouldn't directly say so in public. Their actions on the pitch reveal more than their words and clearly manifest that point. Now tell me if that isn't a sign of respect from a country who over the decades has consistently beaten our football teams 18 times out of 20 occasions including this most recent match. The other 2 matches were draws.

Well, we came close this time around. We were literally inches away (e.g. Angel's header that hit the crossbar) from a victory over Indonesia. In my opinion, that ain't too bad at all. There will be other occasions in the future, both at home or even away, and you can be sure that Indonesia won't be taking our team lightly anymore. 

2012 Moira G Gallaga©