Villaflor: Miracle of Panaad?

NO DAISUKE SATO, no Stephan Palla, no Patrick Strauss, and no Neil Etheridge.

Following their recall to their mother clubs, the four stalwarts of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 group stage won’t be seeing action this Sunday against what could be the Azkals’ toughest opponents in the tournament by far. Another key player, Luke Woodland, was sidelined due to injury in the first game.

That leaves Sven Goran Eriksson with only 18 players to choose from for the crucial semifinal first-leg match against Vietnam, which topped its group. A “depleted” Azkals lineup would be welcome news for the visitors, who after the heartbreak of Hanoi in 2010, will have more than enough motivation to win on Philippine soil.

But how wanting is the Azkals lineup for Sunday? Let’s take a look.

Goalkeeper Michael Falkesgaard has been reliable between the sticks, while the midfield, led by Stephan Schrock and Manuel Ott, has seven players vying for Eriksson’s nod for Sunday’s match at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

Alvaro Silva, Carli de Murga and Martin Steuble have proven their mettle against Thailand and Indonesia, but with the departure of Palla and Sato, the Azkals defense has become a potentially weak area, particularly the “vacant” leftback position.

Midfielder Paul Mulders could slide back as a center back as he did against Singapore and Timor-Leste, but at 37 years old, can he keep up with the pace of the youthful Vietnamese? Similarly, midfielder Kevin Ingresso could reprise his role in the Timor match as a fullback, but he didn’t impress against the tournament’s weakest team and could end up a liability. Having recovered from a serious knee injury he sustained last year, Amani Aguinaldo has yet to be fielded.

As for its midfield, the only question is who can fill Strauss’s shoes and perform as effectively, alongside Manuel Ott, Patrick Reichelt and Stephan Schrock, who all form the core of the Azkals’ midfield engine? Ian Ramsay? Mike Ott? James Younghusband?

On paper, the Azkals actually have enough depth to deal with the departures. And this is where Eriksson’s experience and intelligence could spell the difference. If Eriksson figures out how to plug the midfield and defensive holes, there’s a huge chance the Philippines can shut out the Vietnamese.

Scoring against the Vietnamese might be another matter, though. For one, Vietnam has not conceded any goal after four matches in the Group Stage. Against the stronger teams like Myanmar and Malaysia, The Golden Dragons opted for a formidable yet flexible 5-4-1 formation.

The Azkals biggest problem right now is scoring goals. Eriksson has introduced brilliant plays in middle third and attacking third, but converting these plays into goals remains a challenge. It would be interesting how Eriksson’s old school 4-4-2 would play out against the increasingly popular 5-4-1.

As an Azkals goal looks even more elusive now, a scoreless draw would be a positive result for the Philippines as they head to Hanoi for the return leg on Dec. 6, as this will deprive the visitors of a crucial away goal.

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