Dooley to gauge Azkals’ fitness in friendly vs North Korea
Philippine Azkals coach Thomas Dooley. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
After watching his team chase shadows in the 1-3 loss to Bahrain Friday night, Philippine Azkals coach Thomas Dooley eased the pressure on his players as they brace for another tough outing against North Korea in a friendly Monday night at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
“The Suzuki Cup is the most important game [in the Asean Football Federation],” said Dooley. “This game [against North Korea] is important for development.”
“These games are where the players can afford to make a mistake. If something happens, we just need to adjust.”
The clash against the North Koreans is the second friendly in four nights for the Azkals, who are hosting Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia in Group A of the Suzuki Cup starting Nov. 19.
Dooley is at a loss at where his players stand as far as their fitness levels are concerned with a grueling domestic season heading into the homestretch.
“The biggest thing that I found out against Bahrain is that I don’t even know where we are,” said Dooley. “It sounds strange because we had players cramping up and they reacted instead of acting. We were always a step or two behind that’s why we couldn’t get the ball.”
Bahadoran will miss the game against North Korea after limping off in the second half against Bahrain, where Dooley threw youngsters Fitch Arboleda and Daniel Gadia into the fray.
“The game against North Korea will give us more information because we need to find out how fit the players are,” said Dooley.
Dooley tinkered with his regular starting eleven Friday night against Bahrain, putting Kevin Ingreso behind Misagh Bahadoran on attack while pushing Phil Younghusband farther back at midfield.
Ingreso struggled to make an impact with Mike Ott coming in to replace him at the break. Ott ended up scoring in his international debut.
Dooley’s backline also looked shaky with Amani Aguinaldo and Luke Woodland scrambling at times in an effort to snuff out attacks.
