Azkals now have full squad

DUBAI—Philippines coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is no stranger to major tournaments, but he felt relief more than anything just three days before the Azkals make their debut in the AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

With midfielder Patrick Strauss arriving in this bustling, economic hub Thursday night, Eriksson now has the full 23-man squad at his disposal as the Azkals take on continental heavyweights South Korea, China and Kyrgyzstan in the group stage of the 24-nation tournament.

“It’s fantastic; we’re finally complete,” the Swede, who has coached England and Ivory Coast in the Fifa World Cup, told the Inquirer.

“For our players, this is their biggest tournament. But it feels good that we finally have the rest of the team here.”

The Azkals had their first training session and will have two more before they face the Koreans, a two-time champion of this competition, who upset then defending champion Germany, 2-0, in the 2018 World Cup in Russia a few months ago.

Korean star Son Heung-min will miss the opener against the Azkals at Al Maktoum Stadium on Monday, but there’s no shortage of quality in Portuguese coach Paulo Bento’s side.

The arrival of Strauss, who plays in the second division in Germany, proves crucial for the Azkals as he was the driving force at midfield in the team’s run to the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals.

A tough tackling midfielder, who is composed on the ball and has an eye for a pass, Strauss was sorely missed in the two semifinal matches against Vietnam after he got recalled by his club, Erzgebirge Aue.

Since setting up camp in Doha, Qatar, last week, the Azkals have struggled to get everyone on the team together with players coming in from different parts of the world.

Leftback Daisuke Sato flew in from Romania only a few days ago and missed the friendly match against Vietnam, which beat the Azkals, 4-2.

“Different countries have different preparations,” said captain Phil Younghusband. “At the end of the day, we all have each other in the team and we’re ready to fight for each other up until the final whistle.”