Azkals test new system in Bahrain international friendly

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals test the new system they’ve been trying out on camp the past week on the pitch in an actual international friendly match against Bahrain tonight at Bahrain National Stadium in Manama.

Coach Thomas Dooley wants the team to play with just three defenders in a 3-4-3 attacking formation that generally turns into 5-4-1 on defense, instead of the old 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 systems, as they prepare for their major sorties this year.

For Dooley, this system will allow the Pinoy booters to keep the ball better and widen their scheme while maintaining compact defensively – something that will serve them well in the coming Fifa World Cup qualifiers in June.

The friendly against Bahrain is slated at 6:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. in Manila).

The Bahrainis are coming off a 0-6 thrashing at the hands of Colombia last Thursday and would be out for redemption in front of their supporters.

Phl XI had previously held the Bahrainis to a 0-0 draw in 2012 and another ego-boosting result would be welcome but team manager Dan Palami is looking farther down the road.

“A win will be a good result, but we’re more interested at looking at how we play the system and the patterns that will evolve from it,” he said.

“Putting it into context, everything that we’re doing here is for the World Cup qualifiers,” he reiterated.

The Azkals, though, will miss Fil-British Neil Etheridge at the post after a freak accident during lunch with the Filipino community left him with a cut on the back of his head. Fil-German Roland Muller is set to take the starting spot.

Fil-Spanish defender Alvaro Silva, Juani Guirado and Amani Aguinaldo, meanwhile, are expected to start in the backline while Phil Younghusband, Patrick Reichelt and possibly OJ Porteria could spearhead the front.