Match Preview: Philippines vs North Korea

PYONGYANG – The Philippines tackles the first of two matches in the most challenging stretch of their World Cup Qualifying campaign on Thursday when the Azkals battle a North Korean side that has gotten off to a blistering start in Group H. North Korea is on top with nine points, winning all three of their matches so far, while the Azkals are third in the group behind on goal difference against Uzbekistan with six points. And although the Azkals are still in the hunt for top spot, they have less room for error as they face their final assignment in the first of a double-round robin.

When the draw was made last April, the two away games – against North Korea on Thursday and Bahrain on Oct. 13 – were easily identified as the toughest considering the travel that the team would have to go through before playing the two matches.

The Azkals had apprehensions going to this reclusive nation’s capital, but they were pleasantly surprised at how clean and developed the city looked. Their anxiety unfounded, the Azkals had a couple of days to prepare for battle. It’s not the easiest of tasks, having to travel 18 hours to Pyongyang from Manila (The journey took longer than usual to avoid visa complications in Beijing), while some of the Europe-based players were already traveling close to 24 hours when they got here Monday afternoon.

READ: Azkals get glimpse of clean, serene Pyongyang

The Azkals are coming off one of their heaviest defeats – a 1-5 beatdown at the hands of Uzbekistan – last Sept. 8 at Philippine Sports Stadium. They know fully well that another defeat will dim their chances of making it to the next round. “Honestly, these two matches will determine where we go in the qualifying tournament,” said Iain Ramsay. “It’s tough with all the traveling and stuff but we have to find a way (to win).”

Once again, the Azkals are facing adversity. Can they rise to the challenge anew?
READ: Bahadoran, Ramsay expecting ‘tough’ match vs North Korea in Pyongyang

Here are some of the factors we need to look at heading into the crucial game on Thursday.

1. PUTTING LOSS TO UZBEKISTAN BEHIND

The Azkals set out seeking an upset against Uzbekistan only to be left undone by individual mistakes and of course, the Uzbeks’ quality. It was one of those matches when everything that could go wrong for the Azkals happened, while Uzbekistan finally found their form. As much as it was difficult to discuss the loss, the performance that night just can’t be dismissed. The Azkals know they were better than the scoreline suggested that night, but they just committed mistakes that in this level of Asian football, teams are punished severely.

READ: Match Ratings: Philippines vs Uzbekistan

The Azkals quickly dispersed after that loss with players returning to their clubs in Europe while the UFL players went on a holiday with the season just finished. Coach Thomas Dooley admitted he didn’t have much time to talk about the defeat to his players until they arrived here. The Uzbekistan loss was a huge learning experience as it was the first time that the system that Dooley put in was facing stronger opposition who had obviously scouted the Azkals well. Dooley also acknowledged he had tactical lapses himself.

But now is not the time to doubt the system or the players’ abilities. The challenge for Dooley is to get his players’ confidence back and he’s started picking up the pieces just by keeping his faith on Neil Etheridge who was culpable in the first minute goal that the Uzbeks scored on a rainy night in Bulacan. Playing on enemy territory in an unfamiliar country has pumped up Etheridge who is raring to rectify the disaster against the Uzbeks. Etheridge is no stranger to playing North Korea, having been part of the team that bowed to the home side, 0-2, in the Challenge Cup in Nepal in 2012. Though the Azkals lost, the game was one of Etheridge’s finest performance in a national team kit saving Pak Nam Chol’s penalty in the first half and limiting the damage with a string of saves.

There were plenty of encouraging signs in the loss to Uzbekistan. Stephan Schrock looked like he was back to his usual threatening self playing up front, while Daisuke Sato played like a battle-tested veteran against some of the finest talents in Asia. Amani Aguinaldo looked steady when he came on at halftime for Luke Woodland and could get a start against a physical North Korean side.

The defense must be solid, well-drilled and organized, while Schrock will be central to the Azkals’ chance of getting a result up front as Javier Patino will miss the game due to injury. He’s fit as he’s been playing regular football for Greuther Furth in the German second division. The midfielder looked sharp in training last Tuesday at Seosan Stadium in the outskirts of Pyongyang. “Everyone has to step up and give 110 percent for us to have a chance (of winning) here,” said Schrock.

2. PREPARATION, FITNESS ISSUES

Facing a North Korean team that puts plenty of emphasis on fitness and stamina, the Azkals certainly have their work cut out for them. The season of the United Football League, where majority of the Azkals ply their trade finished last month and some of the players have not seen competitive action since the Uzbekistan game with the exception of Global FC players Misagh Bahadoran, Dennis Villanueva, Amani Aguinado and Patrick Deyto who all played in the Singapore Cup semifinals last week.

READ: Azkals upbeat despite North Korea run

Dooley is always hopeful that the preparation he has mapped out is followed down to the last detail, but there are just factors that are beyond his control. He would have loved to have the team train together in Manila for the game, but the Europe-based players were only released just days before the match. “After the Uzbekistan game, the media was talking about we have four weeks of preparation for North Korea but in truth, we only have a couple of days to prepare against them,” said Dooley.

Perhaps the presence of Stephan Schrock, Stephan Palla and Jerry Lucena who are in the middle of their season in Europe is a huge boost, but the Azkals cannot afford any slip-ups particularly defensively.

It doesn’t help that the Azkals will miss Javier Patino due to injury, although skipper Phil Younghusband believes they have depth in the side to fill the void left by the prolific striker.

The Azkals will be facing a team that will feed off the energy of its home crowd. North Korea will try to blitz them off the pitch and the onus is on the Azkals to respond and fight back. The last time the two teams met, North Korea came away with a 2-nil win over the Azkals in a group stage match of the now-defunct AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal three years ago. The difference in fitness levels was evident in that match. While the Azkals looked gassed, the North Koreans mustered enough energy to run a few sprints after the game.

“Fitness is always a concern,” said Dooley. “If you want to play at a high level and you’re not fit then you can’t be successful. Fitness alone cannot win you the World Cup but without fitness you don’t stand a chance.”

3. NORTH KOREA’S STRENGTH

The country may be reclusive, but North Korea has certainly made its presence felt in international football. The North Koreans reached the World Cup twice, most recently in 2010 when they played in a group that included Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast and although they lost all their matches in South Africa, their presence in football’s showpiece event is a testament to their strength and pedigree. They have also won the AFC Challenge Cup twice, including in 2012 when they beat the Azkals en route to the crown. Their current position as No. 1 in Group H should come only as a mild surprise because the North Koreans are just too good to be picked out from Pot 4 when the draw was made last April. Such is the peculiarity of the Fifa rankings that a team of North Korea’s strength and quality was ranked behind several countries, including the Philippines. And to think North Korea was just coming off an Asian Cup stint in Australia last January.

The Azkals are heavy underdogs in the match particularly with North Korea’s current form. Stunned Uzbekistan, 4-2, at Kim Il Sung Stadium after a win over Yemen, before conquering Bahrain, 1-0, in Riffa last month, the North Koreans are out to sustain their impressive run. The Azkals expect a cauldron-like atmosphere at Kim Il Sung Stadium. But they should be more concerned with the quality of the opposition. Like the Azkals, North Korea has a few players also plying their trade in Europe particularly 6-foot-2 striker Pak Kwang Ryong who is under contract with Swiss side FC Basel but on loan to Biel Bienne in the second division. Pak, 23, scored the opener against Uzbekistan. He’s quick and powerful, holds the ball up well and gets other players into the game. Amani Aguinaldo and the entire Azkals backline will certainly have their hands full against him. But the North Koreans aren’t a one-man show. The side possesses quality and depth and proof of that is the fact that the team already has six different scorers from the first three matches.