by TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News
JAKARTA, Indonesia - It's been 2 days since the under-23 Philippine football team suffered their 2nd defeat at the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
They had a rest day on Tuesday and are back on the pitch practicing Wednesday, 2 days before their next match against Laos.
Have the young Azkals gotten their bearings back and ready to make a miracle run to qualify for the semifinals?
Coach Hans Michael Weiss says the key is to take things one match a time rather than to look at the daunting task of having to win the remaining 3 matches and hope for miracles against the leading teams in their bracket like Timor Leste and Vietnam.
In an ironic way, the 2 losses have sort of lifted some pressure off the shoulders of the young Azkals, 15 of whom will still be eligible for the 2013 SEA Games.
Weiss adds that they must now really focus on defense and take note of their lapses versus Timor Leste and Vietnam that virtually broke their backs.
Laos is next up for the U-23 Philippine Football team set on November 11, 4 p.m. Jakarta time.
Familiar face
Meanwhile, a familiar face in Philippine Football is now on the sidelines for the first time as an assistant coach.
Veteran national team member Yanti Bersales, who retired after the Myanmar match in June, is part of the coaching staff in Jakarta.
From what he's seen, he hopes the boys learn to loosen up and relieve themselves of the unnecessary pressure on them.
He says they should value this experience and exposure they are getting at such a young age.
As for bouncing back, Bersales says they have to forget what happened in the last 2 matches and simply look forward to their next opponent, Laos.
It’s as simple as that.
So far Bersales’ presence and veteran advice has been a welcome addition to the staff handling the very young team.
No comments:
Post a Comment