PHILIPPINES vs INDONESIA, a reckoning

The Red and Whites in better days

Its a little less than a full day for our next scheduled friendly and once again I am feeling giddy like a little boy in a candy store. For the Filipino soccer fan, there is a lot to be happy about this match. One of them is a chance to avenge the double losses against Indonesia at the tail end of 2010. It was to be one home and one away game but since the previous PFF "leadership" decided not to invest in a FIFA acceptable pitch, the Philippine home game was instead played in the very hostile pitch in Indonesia. We lost both game 1 to 0. I've often wondered if we had played in Rizal, would we have lost 1 to 0 too?

vs Nepal w/ much of the "dream team" photo by Aureo Largoza

But of course it is water under the bridge now and we are in the midst of a football renaissance. Slowly going away are the days when our senior team had to start 36 yo booters, college players and welcoming anyone with a foreign football history. This time a missing European based player do not spell doom even against a highly placed opponent. Perhaps a first in its history, the Philippine national team, better known as the Azkals has now decided to rid itself of "tryouts" for prospective members and has switched to, in team manager Dan Palami's own words, "invitation only".

That said, let the roster prognosticating begin! 

First things first, Weiss "dream teamers" Dennis Cagara and Jerry Lucena are projected to arrive less than 24hrs before the match. Problem: Do you start them or have them come in as substitutes? Ace forward Phil Younghusband and new Azkal hotshot forward Denis Wolf are finally together for a FIFA friendly. Do we stay with the lone striker formation and have one of them come in as a substitute or go back to old mainstay 4-4-2 to take advantage of the two forwards great quality? Will attacking center midfielder Paul Mulders show more life against Indonesia or will rising star Manny Ott supplant him in Weiss' "dream team"? 

Secondly, like the previous match against Malaysia, Indonesia is also among the top teams in south east Asia. What better to prove our mettle then against the "Red and Whites". Make no mistake, though their previous matches leave much to be desired including the loss against Bahrain, with a dubious score of 0-10 early in the year and the current mess its FA has mired itself in, the Merah Putih are stocked with skillful players who will be playing for flag and country and against a young upstart like the "street dogs" you can be sure they will be giving their all.   

Here is what I think Coach Weiss will do. I think he will revert back to a two striker formation to take advantage of Phil and Denis. Why? There are numerous reports that Indonesia's team will not be its best(to explain why would need a few more pages. Google PSSI and or Indonesia football team for a better explanation). We must take advantage of this by utilizing both of our two best strikers. The 4-4-2 has been a staple of the Azkals for a long time and would not be like a completely new formation for most of the team. Far be it for me to marginalize any Indonesian squad but if we have our best and they do not plus home field advantage, I believe we can squeeze a win against them.

With Cagara and Lucena available and both exceptional defensive players our defense should be as effective if not more so as our current staple formation the 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1. 

Above is my formation for the Indonesia match. I would play a 4-4-1-1

Goal Keeper: With both Neil and Roland available, it is a toss up. I think Neil is likely to start.

Right Back would be Carli, sure he had a difficult game against Malaysia, but Indonesia is not the Harimau Malaya and he has proven himself against other high caliber teams and has ever been solid.

Left Back would be Dennis Cagara, if you've ever flown a long distance you know "jet lag" does not start right away, I expect him to be a a 100% to start BUT would replace him no later than the 65th-70th minute. If Juani is available by some miracle, I'd have him be the first substitute.

Center Backs: Jason Sabio and Rob Gier. I don't think we have to change anything between these two solid starters.

Center/Holding Mid would be Jerry Lucena. Yes he played center mid before he started playing RB for AGF Aarhus. I expect him to play at 100% for about 65-70 min and then have Ott or Marwin Angeles to give him rest.

Right Wing: James Younghusband, 'nuff said.

Left Wing I'd start Angel for obvious reasons plus Chieffy has struggled of late. Say, around the 70th minute pull Angel for a rested Chieffy would be a rude kick-in-the-pants against whoever is on that side for the Red and Whites.

Center Attacking Mid: Paul Mulders, yes I said it. I'd give him a chance to once again show what he's got on the offensive side. Plus, it does not hurt that he is quite dependable on defense too.

The strikers: Denis and Phil with Phil as primary and Wolf as support striker. We've never had this amount of quality at forward before not even the Leigh Gunn and Freddy Gonzalez tandem could probably compare.

The final score: 1-0 win!

So that's Wiking's take. It is going to be a doozie. Tell us yours, if you want by leaving a comment below. And good luck to the Azkals!