Azkals in game of death

By Peter Atencio

Expect a do-or-die showdown between the Philippine Azkals and the Vietnam Red Warriors tonight in Group A hostilities of the  ASEAN Football Federation-Suzuki Cup 2012 at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Coach Hans Michael Weiss, who will watch the game from afar due to a one-game suspension, said this yesterday in a pre-game conference.

Weiss believes that a draw with the Red Warriors won’t mean anything for the Azkals, who absorbed a 1-2 loss to the Thailand War Elephants last Saturday in their opening game.

A victory over the Red Warriors, who are ranked way higher in FIFA rankings than the Azkals at 138, will keep the Filipinos in contention for a semifinal slot.

The Red Warriors played Myanmar to a 1-all draw also last Saturday. They will face the Azkals at 5:30 p.m. today (6:30 p.m. Manila time).

“A draw is not good enough. The loser will go home. There are some people back in the Philippines who are already talking about the semifinals and the finals. They are missing the bigger picture. There are football developments in our country. But when you compare us to Thailand, we are still so far away. So we have to look at the bigger picture,” said Weiss.

This time around, Weiss said he will give young booter Marwin Angeles a chance to prove himself.

“We need players like Marwin (Angeles) who are warriors and who are 100% ready for battle. In the match against Thailand, two or three players underperformed and that is bad for a team,” added Weiss, who was suspended when he threw the ball to the field and hit scorer Anucha Kitpongsri, who was down on the ground following a collision with an Azkals player during the last portion of their game with Thailand.

On the other hand, 26-year-old Le Cong Vinh will be the player to watch from the Vietnamese side. He has a strike record of 31 goals in 54 games and he will be the focal point of the Vietnamese attack.

Another striker Denis) Wolf, who was nursing an injury the last time around, will be around to help Phil Younghusband at the front.

Vietnam, according to Weiss, has five offensive players “who are fluid in their movement.”

“So we have to have quick movement and pressure early and not allow them to play,” added Weiss.

Manila Standard Today