PHILIPPINE AZKALS IN DO-OR-DIE MATCH VS TAJIKISTAN FOR SPOT IN SEMIS OF CHALLENGE CUP
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 13 Mar 2012
Phil Younghusband.
The Philippine Azkals, clearly benefiting from playing together in Kathmandu for some ten days in the AFC Challenge Cup and showing remarkable team spirit, go into a do-or-die match against 2006 Challenge Cup winners Tajikistan on Tuesday with the hope of winning and earning a semi final spot.
The match will be telecast "live" by ABS-CBN Studio 23 beginning at 4:30 p.m. with commentator Bob Guerrero and injured Azkals skipper Ali Borromeo providing the analysis and insights into the game.
Both the Azkals and Tajikistan lost 2-0 to prohibitive favorites and defending champions North Korea but Weiss believes the Tajik players had a tougher match against DPR and this could give the Philippines what he believes a ?psychological edge? in the quest for the No. 2 spot in the ?Group of Death? since the Philippines had a somewhat easier time in defeating India 2-0 which Weiss told the Manila Standard was ?a good birthday gift? as he marked his birthday hours before the India match.
In an overseas telephone conversation with the Manila Standard, Weiss noted that the Azkals ?have the potential to play better? and that with Paul Mulders and Juan Aldeguer teaming up in midfield for only the second time he ?expects more from them in terms of passing and possession play.?
He said with Tajikistan losing ?a hard match against North Korea by an identical 2-0 score I think we have a slight advantage.?
Weiss noted that ?when you win a match and you are tired you have another feeling than when you get out of a match and you lose it. That is a psychological advantage. We needed playing time, we needed these days together. We have been here for ten days and the team spirit is high. It's wonderful to see how the guys are jelling together.?
He said that Rob Gier who was back after three months due to injury ?played a very nice match and we had a solid defense.?
Like most coaches Weiss said ?we could have played better but we have the potential for a better performance.?
He said the pitch was not all that good and the players needed some time to settle down with goalkeeper Neil Etheridge being particularly wary of the odd bounce.
Looking ahead to the Tajikistan match, coach Weiss said ?we are fighting for the second spot on the same level and a small mistake will make a difference and on the contrary, one or two good actions can mean a 1-0 victory.?
The coach said ?We are quite stable now in defense and if we have one goal we can close down a little bit more and make it more tight. They are not that highly advanced to even stretch us out or even play around us and create many chances like the North Koreans did. That will be our approach tomorrow (Tuesday).?
He said the tactics would depend on the flow of the game, stating that ?after ten, fifteen minutes how far can you push up the last line and then the second line and then initiate pressure situations. India was a weaker team and we felt we could push up the line a little bit higher and could initiate some pressure. We did that in the first half partially and did better in the second half but we should have done it much, much more.?
Weiss pointed out ?this is a tournament not an international friendly. Its really do or die so you have to be a little cautious. With new players coming in and out especially with the two players in the defensive holding midfield this needs some time to adjust to each other. Mulders and Guirado haven?t played together in this position in their lives. It doesn?t work overnight but I am expecting them to play much better and if we succeed we can only get better.?
He claimed that Mulders had problems adjusting to the time difference, the jetlag, the high altitude.Plus Mulders didn?t have much playing time after the winter break but you could see he is a fantastic player. What he showed in the first two matches was just 50 percent.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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