Azkals’ head coach Thomas Dooley. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
On the cusp of history with only one match remaining in the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup, the Philippine Azkals are bracing for what could be “the best game ever in our lives.”
“Those are the games that we, as players and coaches, are looking for,” said Philippine team head coach Thomas Dooley.
The Azkals will play Thailand on Friday to end the group stages at Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan, with a win automatically propelling them to the semifinals.
“It will be a challenge for us. The goal for us here in the Philippines is to get to the next level and go to the (AFF Suzuki Cup) Finals, and doing that needs us to win tomorrow,” he said.
The Philippines hasn’t won against Thailand in the history of the biennial meet.
Its last conquest over the Thais was back June 12, 1972 when the Filipinos took home a 1-0 victory in a tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Dooley’s wards did come close before, salvaging a scoreless draw in the first leg of the semifinals in the 2014 Suzuki Cup before the War Elephants rebounded with a 3-0 victory en route to the crown.
The coach didn’t hide his admiration for Thailand’s football system, sharing that it’s the program the Philippines aspires for.
“Thailand is actually a team we look up to, in my opinion, with lots of fans supporting the team and putting pressure to the players so that they can develop,” he said. “The last time we played there was in front of 60,000 fans, and tickets were sold in a couple of hours. They have great youth system, so all the players coming out are already in a position to play high level football.”
But as much as he looks up to the War Elephants, all Dooley wants for the Azkals is to secure the three points to advance to the semifinals.
“This game could be our last game, but it’s the most important thing for us and we have to win it to get to the next round. It will be a little bit more pressure to the players in the field, but in the last two games, the effort and energy I could see in the team, it’s there and it’s just what you need,” he said.
And Dooley is keeping an optimistic approach going to the crucial tiff on Friday.
“Anything can happen. The only thing you can control is you, so you prepare as hard as you should. You need to be 100-percent ready and focused, be at the best you can do you can win. If Thailand has an incredible game and we have a good game, maybe it’s not enough so we have to get more and prepare 100-percent and hope Thailand makes more mistakes,” he said. “For us, I don’t think it will be any more different than the games before. We just have to focus, play 90 minutes, and make less mistakes as possible.”
“It will be a good game, an interesting game, and hopefully, it will be good for us.”