From Cambodia to Laos – what went wrong with the Azkals?

It’s the culmination of the Philippine Azkals’ Southeast Asian tour which served as preparation for the upcoming Suzuki cup. The Azkals came off with a goalless draw, a Schröcking win, and a devastating loss, all in a span of 5 days.

CAMBODIA

Azkals training in Cambodia from http://www.quotednews.com

The Azkals were off to a shaky start in Cambodia, only managing to score a draw against a seemingly weaker team. The squad was undeniably having difficulties, with the main problem stemming from the terrible pitch which was even made worse by the torrential rain. Even with the extra manpower from Europe-based Azkals Jerry Lucena, Rob Gier, Paul Mulders and the newly-capped OJ Porteria, the team barely managed to squeak through with a draw against the Cambodian side. There were too many flubbed chances made by our forwards, which could’ve resulted in at least three goals.

I was particularly disappointed with the performance of Neil Etheridge who seemed a little bit off and barely came off with a clean sheet that night. I know I’ve always commended Neil and even made a post about his tremendous skills at goalkeeping (and his BIG HANDS) but my newbie pundit skills aside, I felt let down. Maybe Fulham should consider loaning him to another team where he can have the chance to improve his game, rather than always relegating him to the sidelines. I’d hate to see him stagnate or even worse, deteriorate, so I hope Fulham gives him a chance.

SINGAPORE