Adjustment time for Azkals

The Azkals national football team is probably the most anticipated thing right now in Philippine sports. It’s bigger than any Efren “Bata” Reyes and Django Bustamante game and apparently, it has gained more attention than a DLSU-Ateneo match or a Barangay Ginebra game. Manny Pacquiao is still the most watched sports superstar but an Azkals game could dwarf an audience share acquired by a Nonito Donaire or a Brian Viloria match.

After the Azkals successful beatdown of Vietnam in the 2010 Suzuki Cup, fans have trooped to lay their eyes on the team. They are considered hot topics in the Internet and advertisers take shots in requesting for their presence. All of a sudden, this nation that used to snub football became the nation that loves the sport.

However, this is the question that needs to be addressed: For how long?

The World Cup qualifier against Kuwait’s Al-Azraq is a wake-up call. When we battled patsies we flourished, but we all knew it’s just a matter of time before our weaknesses will be exposed. I am certain we will bounce back and treat this experience as motivation to succeed even further, but we must iron the kinks of today.

One obvious flow we have at the moment is chemistry. There were a lot of unforced turnovers made in the game that led to more possessions for the Kuwaitis. These were the same flaws that were seen in the Mongolia and Sri Lanka matches but because the threat of losing against them is inferior, we shrug this factor. There were times where Chieffy Caligdong, Angel Guirado and Phil Younghusband were passing the ball to nonexistent players. While this is not a fault because most of the Azkals get their pay from playing in various professional leagues, it hurts the squad because from that point on the rivals know that communication is basically nonexistent for the Azkals. As for Neil Etheridge, sure, he is one of the finest goalies I have ever seen but for some reason, he thinks his teammates will go for the ball when he kicks it as far as possible. Fact is, instead of helping the team, it puts the squad in a tough spot because the Kuwaitis will automatically secure possession. This is not his fault because the forwards and midfielders need to secure whatever scoring opportunities the team could muster, but this is not the case with regards to all those long balls. Etheridge was openly disgusted when he had to guard the two goals by his lonesome because the defense got eluded by the scorer.

Ball control is another issue that we need to address. The Azkals have trouble putting the ball to a place where shooting opportunities excel. That is not the case against Al-Azraq because they were advancing the ball with great ease. There was a point in the match where Al-Azraq managed to advance the ball by merely doing back kicks. With this feat alone, the inferiority of the Azkals was exposed.

But the biggest reason behind the loss is our confidence. The goals Al-Azraq scored could have been prevented if the Azkals put in extreme pressure on the ball handler. The Kuwaitis never had strong opposition and because they got to see the goal without contention, they were able to architect good looks that proved beneficial to their squad. Also, instead of having a sense of urgency, the Azkals are resigned that they have lost, and they were afraid to shoot despite the fact that there is a clear view. This reminds me of those third place faceoffs that the Team Pilipinas basketball squad failed to win because they settled for nothing less than the gold.

The goal scored by Stephan Schrock was oozing of confidence. Meanwhile, regardless of what they say about Michael Weiss’ coaching, the Azkals have a lot of issues that can’t be pinned on the Azkals coach.

So is this the end for the Azkals? I for one think this is a mere learning curve. Against the strong Kuwaitis, we held our ground for most parts. Can you imagine this squad when it has the right thinking and the proper way of playing football? I can see the Azkals bouncing from this predicament to even more raise football awareness in the country. Hopefully Weiss will be more vigilant in getting the top players and hopefully the squad gets the proper confidence on both offense and defense.

I think most of our countrymen understand that securing a place among the football elite would require some time. It is certain that we like the Azkals to succeed. The sooner the better. – SS