spot_img
27.5 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

No surprise there

- Advertisement -

The Philippine Azkals lost their two tune-up games in the Middle East recently. The first was a 2-0 defeat to Kuwait at the Jaber Al Ahmad Stadium in Kuwait City, followed by a 4-0 drubbing from Jordan at the Al Wakrah Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

And as expected, loyal Azkals fans expressed their disappointment over the results. Which is nothing new and is always the case whenever the team suffers losses. We have probably elevated the national men’s football team to a certain pedestal that every game, even if it is a just tune-up or a friendly, the Azkals are expected to put up a good game as a basic requirement, but a win is a must, and a loss guarantees bashing to kingdom come.

Most Azkals fans, especially the young ones, are not used to seeing the team suffer big losses such as what happened in Kuwait City and in Doha. They are not used to seeing the team lose. Period. And they are not fond of seeing and hearing the team, the players and the management make excuses either.

Former Azkals’ team captain and now part of the coaching staff Stephan Schröck said they expected the criticisms and the backlash of yet another sorry outing of the squad. He said he is not going to make an excuse, but only asked that he be heard of what happened before and during the West Asia camp.

“Fifteen players who were originally invited to join us in Kuwait and Qatar couldn’t make it because of injuries, personal reasons and club duties. So obviously, if there are 15 players missing in the squad, there was a quality loss right away. So we tried to fill in the spots with young players so that they could gain experience at the international level. It is really hard to push for a good result when you are missing 15 players,” Schröck explained.

- Advertisement -

Schröck said several players begged off days before the departure to Kuwait and by then it was too late to send another round of invites, prepare the necessary documents and visas for the players. He said that during the actual games, only 20 players suited up for the Kuwait match and only 18 for the game against Jordan. Even during the camp, some players suffered injuries while a few more were not able to play because they had to be released to their clubs. Schrock said it was the first time that he saw that so many Azkals were not able to come to a training camp.

“We had four injuries in a matter of two hours, players calling the Azkals’ management team saying that they just pulled their hamstrings so we have to find replacements right away. We also needed to release Manny (Ott) and Kevin (Ingreso) to club duties. We can demand for them to stay during the FIFA window, but that won’t be smart to destroy relationships in terms of future qualification tournaments. And obviously, club football is their bread and butter,” Schröck said.

Despite the setbacks, the many concerns and issues that the team had to deal with, Schröck said there were several takeaways from the Middle East trip.

Schröck said he was very happy with the way Santi Rublico, John Lucero, Miguel Mendoza, Dennis Chung and the other youngsters responded.

“We have an 18-year-old starting in the two games. A 19-year-old getting his first cap. People are asking why this player is not called up, why this player is missing, but we have to make do with what we have. We are very thankful for the players who showed up and to those who did their best to join the team even if they were sick and took care of their own visa requirements just to be with us,” Schröck said.

Another thing that is worth mentioning is the fact that the team is full of young players ready to carry the flag and country in future competitions. All they need to do is to be healthy and remain injury free.

Schrock, who just arrived yesterday morning from the Middle East camp, said the Azkals are keeping an eye on at least 20-25 players in the local league, along with 25-30 more players based abroad for future camps. He said he is hopeful that once they are called, they are not injured, they don’t have personal issues to deal with, their contracts with their mother clubs are secured, and their teams are not fighting relegation in their respective leagues. In an ideal scenario, they should all be available to don the national kit, whether here in the country or abroad.

“It is very, very easy to say a judgment or a comment on the call-ups but there were a lot of things that happened there. Some people only see the squad list, they only see the results but they don’t know the entire process that was behind it. What I’m asking is to trust the management on what they are doing because they put a lot of work and effort to assemble the best possible team,” Schröck added.

Schröck, however, agrees to comment that the Azkals need to have more tune-up games and more time together in the future. He says comments that the Azkals can’t just go to competitions with no preparation at all are valid and on point. One can’t simply expect the team to win or get some good results against opponents that have been together for a long period of time.

While I share some of Schröck’s points, I also feel the anger and the disappointments of the Azkal diehards. How can we see the potential of the young generation if they don’t have the opportunities to show what they can do on a regular basis? Two games in several months will not be enough. They need more games, a good plan for the next two years or more is needed. There is also a need to continue to look for future Azkals all over the world, but without taking for granted those who are playing well in the domestic league. And if I may add, we already know the players who should not be invited in future camps.

These are just a few observations that we have in mind. More to come in the coming days.

On a personal note, don’t you just hate screenshots with no explanations as to what they are all about? To those who are so fond of doing this, please include some short explanation for context next time so that everyone gets to understand your point or your intention in doing so.

Please don’t forget to join us this Sunday, April 02, 2023 from 2 to 3 p.m. for another episode of 3PTS–Pambansang Tambayan ng Sports aired live over at DZME 1530 khz.

Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!

For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles