Going into the 26th edition of the SEA Games in Indonesia, expectations were high for our football team and for good reason. With senior players Jason de Jong and Manny Ott bannering the team that was reinforced by MV Duisburg third choice goalkeeper Roland Muller and standouts from the local Under-23 Suzuki Cup, fans had every reason to look forward to this tournament.
However, with only a last gasp victory against Laos to show for itself, the Philippines’ ambitious push for a medal finish in Jakarta turned out to be a complete disaster.
Here are five things we learned from our SEA Games debacle.
1. Coaching staff have to play people in their natural positions
One of the more curious decisions of coach Hans Michael Weiss was naming only five natural defenders to the final line-up, namely Carli de Murga, Raymark Fernandez, Neckson Leonora, Jacques van Bossche and David Basa. It does not take a football genius to underscore the fact that poor form, suspensions and injuries are bound to take its toll on a team, especially in a group stage format. As a matter of fact, coaches normally take eight defenders to tournaments, translating to two players per position.
Therefore, when the suspensions did happen, the coaching staff found it necessary to shoehorn players out of their natural playing position into our defense.
Patrick Hinrichsen, a natural right-footed midfielder, was preferred by the coaching staff to start at left-back against Timor Leste and Brunei — both losses.
Erstwhile captain Matt Hartmann, for instance, was himself deployed out of position in central defense when his best position would have been in midfield.
Jason de Jong, who inherited the captain’s armband, acquitted himself with his performances in central defense. But the question was: Did the midfield lose some steel with his move to the back four?
One could argue that defenders Jerry Barbaso and the 6’1” Lemuel Unabia, both omitted from the final list, may have been better defensive options for the team.
Coach Weiss has a history of preferring “better” technical and more experienced players rather than “riskier” inexperienced players, natural playing positions be damned. This time, this decision backfired on him in a spectacular fashion.
2.) More prep time was needed for the Under-23 Philippine team
The U-23 Azkals were exposed mercilessly by better-prepared and well-coached opponents, and the results spoke for themselves. Last place in the optimistically named “Group of Hope” and virtually finishing the tournament as the 10th placed team out of eleven nations, our involvement in the SEA Games football competition was a complete and total disaster.
At the risk of stating the blatantly obvious, more preparation time and a longer period of training was needed. These kids should not be expected to emulate their senior counterparts, where Azkals based in Europe would arrive three days before a tournament, shake off screaming fans and jetlag, and bedevil opposing defenses with dazzling runs and crucial goals for good measure.
Engaging in proper friendlies in the run-up to the tournament would undoubtedly increase cohesion and understanding within the team, whether or not the team wins in them.
Case in point: The Long Teng Cup in Taiwan could have and should have been utilized exclusively for the U -23 squad’s training. Held over a month before the SEA Games, there was debatably no need for the senior team’s presence in Kaohsiung.
Perhaps management thought it necessary to validate the rise of football with a glorious piece of silverware from Taiwan; perhaps management was afraid that our U-23 Azkals would get blown out in a four-nation tournament featuring international football powerhouses Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong (Editor’s note: Ryan is being ironic). Whatever the reasons were, the Long Teng Cup was a missed opportunity for the U-23 to face challenge and adversity together in a competitive setting.
Jeff Christiaens, who made the left flank his own in the SEA Games, would certainly have found it more difficult to break down more experienced defenses. But knowing that he is the main man on that left wing could’ve spurred him to achieve greater heights in Taiwan, which he could’ve carried to Jakarta. As it turned out, the man whose slot he will almost certainly inherit, Chieffy Caligdong won the Golden Boot. But at what potential lost opportunity for the young Christiaens?
3. There is a legitimate call for a dedicated U-23 Coach.
The SEA Games was always going to be a test for Coach Weiss’ coaching skills. The senior team have arguably achieved a certain level of success before he took over, as the team just reached the semi-finals of the Suzuki Cup in 2010.
The U-23 team, on the other hand, is a totally different proposition altogether. Having to build a team from scratch, the team was composed from standouts from the recently held U-23 Suzuki Cup and a smattering of foreign-based Azkals.
A dedicated U-23 coach could’ve watched all the games of the U-23 Suzuki Cup and would’ve taken notice of the standouts in the said tournament.
True, Joshua Beloya, Ojay Clarino and Leonora were eventually drafted into the starting eleven and had big roles to play for Team Philippines. But perhaps, what was missing was watching the games live to know first-hand how to utilize these players in game situations.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu said: “To rely on rustics and not prepare is the greatest of crimes.”
What is applicable in war, is most certainly applicable in football.
4. The choice of the captain is crucial in a young team.
The role of the captain in football, or any sport, is fairly straightforward. As captain, he is the leader of the team and to a certain extent, an extension of the coach on the field.
When Matthew James Calibjo Hartmann left Jakarta, Indonesia in the middle of the U-23 Azkals campaign in the SEA Games, he not only let his team and teammates down, he let the entire nation down with his actions.
Matt Hartmann was reportedly upset at being substituted midway through the game against Timor Leste and support for him from fellow players was supposedly at an all-time low. Regardless of what happened, no circumstance would justify a captain abandoning his team midway through its journey.
With two losses in its first two games, it was the captain’s duty to galvanize the team and be their strength in the time of crisis. Whether he would do it on the pitch in the next game, or on the bench does not matter, he has to stay on to steady the ship.
Taking the easy way out by abandoning ship is certainly one way of not endearing yourself to the football fans. It is most certainly a shameful display of someone not understanding the weight and responsibility of the captain’s armband.
Credit has to be given, however, to his younger brother Mark Hartmann who stayed on and put on a sterling performance against Laos. Delivering two assists that setup Beloya’s historic late goals, Mark displayed mental toughness to continue playing his game and helping the team get the needed victory.
5. Philippine football has potential with this group of youngsters.
It may not seem apparent at the moment, but there are positives to take out from our calamitous SEA Games campaign. This writer Echoes Dan Palami’s statement that “the Philippines has some of the best individual players in the tournament.”
Roland Muller single-handedly kept the Azkals in the game in our opening match against Vietnam. Jeff Christiaens exploits on the left flank earned plaudits from local fans. OJ Porteria, all 17 years young, displayed explosive pace on the wings.
Joshua Beloya’s two late goals will surely live long into Philippine footballing lore. Carli de Murga’s solid showing on the right side of defense forced opponents to exploit our problematic left flank, the graveyard of Azkals defenders in this tournament.
In the face of all the criticism, we must all remember, this still is a very young team, composed of very young players. Fifteen out of the twenty members of this team will still be eligible to play in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar.
The onus is now squarely on the hands of the PFF. We may chalk this failure on inexperience, poor planning and some questionable coaching decisions. Come 2013, these same reasons certainly will no longer be tolerated by an increasingly mature footballing nation.
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