A new-look Philippine national men’s football squad held Malaysia to an entertaining goalless draw in Kuala Lumpur, with Thomas Dooley making his debut as new coach of the Azkals.
Malaysia will be disappointed with the draw, having dominated the first half of the game. The Philippines weathered the storm and improved in the second half and will be cautiously happy with the result.
Here are five things we learned from the game:
1. The new-look Azkals look more pleasing to the eye
The predictable long balls from defense to attack are seemingly a thing of the past. Quick passing and build-up play has instead taken its place. Welcome to the Thomas Dooley era for Philippine football.
More ground balls are being played from the back, with the ball being passed one touch from the midfield up to the wings or into space — this is the kind of football fans saw from the Azkals against Malaysia and it is what most fans have been waiting for.
We are starting to see quick passes together with quick runs. We see pressing when the Azkals lose the ball. While the Azkals don’t have Spain-type possession statistics, the Philippines are using the ball more effectively when we have it.
“Coach Dooley made a difference tonight. Finally, a viable system for the Azkals”, said Stallion coach Ernie Nierras.
2. Debutantes deliver for the Azkals.
To think Patrick Deyto and Simone Rota almost did not make it to Malaysia.
Goalkeeper Deyto was a late addition to the Azkals lineup and he wasted no time in proving his worth as he delivered a man of the match performance in his debut for the national team.
“Deyto was calm and collected and this being his first cap didn’t faze him one bit”, said his former coach Hans Smit. “He was a rookie who played like a senior.”
Stallions’ Simone Rota also played 90 minutes in his sterling debut, shifting from rightback to centerback late in the game.
Balot Doctora was a thorn on the Malaysian defense, troubling them with his speed and industry. His movement caused trouble for the opposing centerbacks and he may well be an option for Dooley in future game situations.
3. At 33, Rob Gier is still the heart and soul of the Azkals defence
This is both good news and bad news.
Rob saved the Azkals blushes time and again versus Malaysia, as he dealt with high balls from Malaysian crosses over and over.
There was a gnawing feeling though, that there were too many close calls, too many last-ditch tackles for one’s sanity and blood pressure. The woodwork saved us three Malaysian goals, but bad marking from the middle will not have pleased Dooley one bit.
The Azkals have been in the front foot for most of the second half until Gier was given a rest. When Gier left, it was very evident how the Azkals missed his defensive leadership on the field as Malaysia seized the initiative and created chances.
Gier is still the Azkals’ defensive heartbeat and has been their savior and defensive anchor for the longest time. But finding and blooding in his replacement, although difficult, must be undertaken by the coaching staff soon.
4. Fans saw the Thomas Dooley effect
Dooley has the Azkals playing very hard. It was evident that each player on the field was fighting for the right to be wearing the shirt, and it was a good sight to see. Even the player that looked like Mark Hartmann was seen pressing the opposing defense up high.
Five yellow cards were handed out to the Azkals in a friendly match, proof that the players want to prove their worth to the new man in charge.
Substitution patterns now have a purpose, which was to test players in different positions in game time scenarios — a welcome departure from the regime of coach Hans Michael Weiss.
While fans will enthuse about the improvement of the style of play, the Azkals remain a work in progress.
That Malaysia fans will be bitterly disappointed in not coming away with a victory speaks volumes about the chances they created and felt they should have put away.
One will be hard-pressed to find an honest Azkal fan thinking the same way.
Nonetheless, it is a very positive first step for the Azkals and Dooley. We showed the world how the Azkals should play; we showed them how we can play.
5. Fans should put the result in perspective
Consider the fact that the Azkals played without some of our regular starters, gave five players their debuts, held Malaysia to a draw in Malaysia, and kept a clean sheet in the first game in charge of new coach Thomas Dooley.
But also consider the fact that our general consensus for man of the match is our goalkeeper Pat Deyto. What does that say about our offense and defense?
We saw fluidity in passing from the back up to the midfield, but we are unable to create scoring chances for fun, with the final ball sometimes found wanting.
We kept a clean sheet, but only barely so.
It certainly is a very promising start for the Azkals under Dooley. Spirits are high, and rightly so, but this is a just a friendly match with nothing at stake.
Make no mistake: there is still much work to be done. However, based on what we saw versus Malaysia, most will agree that we are on the right track.
www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/rampaging-fullback-five-things-we-learned-from-the-azkals-goalless-draw-versus-malaysia