Myanmar and the Philippines conclude their involvement at the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup when they meet at Bishan Stadium on Saturday.
Both may have already been eliminated but there’s still plenty to play for, according to Myanmar coach Antonine Hey.
“I’ve said consistently that this is a process of rebuilding where we are facing very difficult circumstances but we are taking this match very seriously and are hopeful of getting a good result.”
With the bulk of the squad not having played club football for almost a year and a half, Hey knows that this is an area that must be addressed and has issued a call for teams in the region to consider looking at the quality that the nation possesses.
“For now results are not our main priority and it would be stupid to expect results from one day to the next after not having played for 14 months.
“For a professional player this is an amazingly long time, almost 20% of their career, so it takes time to get into a rhythm but for sure we have quality players, such as Maung Maung Lwin, our striker Than Paing and the midfielder Lwin Moe Aung but the players also need encouragement and support.”
A fractured buildup, with numerous players missing, has also been an issue that hampered the Philippines in their preparations but coach Stewart Hall said that they’re determined to end the tournament on a high note.
“We’re very disappointed with the results but we have to keep going and make sure that people don’t pack their suitcases and think about Christmas.
“We have to keep the tournament alive as well as we can and if the best results we can get is two wins and two defeats then that’s what we’re working towards.”
Hall also confirmed that he’s going to ring in the changes tomorrow with Amani Aguinaldo set to be rested and the captain, Stephan Schröck, released to be with his heavily pregnant wife.
“We want to give a few different boys a chance to show what they can do, we have eight U23 players in the squad and four of those will start tomorrow.”
https://www.affsuzukicup.com/2020/news/preview/1662-preview-myanmar-v-philippines
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