Albert Capellas, a licensed Spanish professional coach will handle the Philippine national men’s football team.
Director of Senior National Teams Freddy Gonzalez said this late Tuesday as he confirmed the appointment of Capellas, a United Europe Football Association coach who has 33 years of experience behind him.
“The priority in our selection process was to find someone who not only shared our philosophy for the National Teams, but also had the capability to transmit that vision to our players quickly,” said Gonzalez in finding a replacement for Tom Saintfiet.
Capellas is a Catalan-born tactician, who spent over a decade with FC Barcelona, where he started as a B assistant, then Youth Team Coordinator, and eventually Deputy Director of Youth Academy.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this journey. For me it’s a fantastic feeling to be here, to help the Federation to go to the next level because that’s what they are looking for,” said Capellas in a statement.
He came in after Norman Fegidero Jr. became interim head coach for recent Merdeka Cup.
With Fegidero around, the Philippines reached the battle for third place, losing 3-4, in a penalty shootout to Tajikistan.
In that game, Team Philippines started showing signs of a shift in playing style to a more proactive and aggressive approach.
With Capellas at the around, and Fegidero as his assistant, change in how the team plays is expected to be accelerated.
