MANILA, Philippines - Despite yielding a 0-3 loss to Kuwait Al Azraq, the very first things that came out from coach Michael Weiss’ mouth at the end of the first leg were good words for his Azkals crew.
“Compliments to the team of Philippines, I think we had a great fight here in Kuwait,” Weiss said for an opening statement in the post-game conference in Hawally, Kuwait.
He had reasons to be positive. Even with the absence of experienced players Aly Borromeo, Stephen Schrock, Paul Mulders and Jerry Lucena in the back and center, his relatively young crew held their own against Kuwait’s seasoned, superior crew before yielding the match.
But now that Borromeo and Schrock are back from suspensions and the familiar environs of the Rizal Memorial and legions of supporters backing them up, Weiss feels he can guarantee a better showing against the powerful Kuwaiti side.
“Thursday is the match for people of the Philippines and we’ll deliver a fantastic performance, that’s what I can promise,” said Weiss.
“Whether we succeed, that is another thing. If we can manage a win, that is already a fantastic achievement and it’s not something which is a coincidence because we worked very hard for it,” he added.
German Weiss, under whom Phl XI has posted three wins, two draws and two losses since taking over last January, said the Azkals would be on attack mode, trying to overhaul a three-goal deficit in the goal aggregate.
“We’ll have a more offensive setup, take a more aggressive approach,” said Weiss.
Of course, it helps that the Azkals won’t have to deal with a 45 degree Celsius temperature in and around the venue.
“I think the weather is good for us because Filipinos are used to this condition; this might be a little favorable for us,” said Weiss, noting how the stifling Kuwaiti heat had somehow zapped the players’ energy after 60 minutes of intense action in the first leg.