Azkals face odds in AFF

MANILA, Philippines - Although the Azkals have got the numbers of his wards recently, Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic believes Phl XI still has a long way to go before becoming a formidable force in the region.

In fact the Serbian mentor, who piloted the Lions to the Asean crown in 2005 and 2007, feels it will be a tall order for the Azkals when ranged against regional powerhouses Thailand and Vietnam in next week’s AFF Suzuki Cup group stages.

“I think the Philippines must really improve if they want to compete against Thailand and Vietnam,” Avramovic said after the Azkals hacked out a 1-0 victory over the Lions behind the goal of Marwin Angeles and the splendid performance of goalkeeper Ed Sacapaño in Cebu.

The Azkals, who blindsided everyone with their surprise semifinal stint in the 2010 Suzuki Cup, are bracketed with three-time titlist Thailand, 2008 ruler Vietnam, and top qualifier Myanmar in Group A of the Nov. 24-30 bootfest.

“They (Thailand and Vietnam) are two very serious teams. They have quality. It’s not going to be easy (for Phl),” said Avramovic, whose Lions are competing with defending champion Malaysia, Indonesia, and Laos in Group B of the Asean tilt.

The win over the Lions, a followup to their 2-0 triumph back in September in Singapore, capped the Azkals’ intensive training for Suzuki Cup.

The Pinoy booters are currently on a few days rest and will fly to Bangkok on Tuesday, using the next four days to finetune their game before hitting the pitch against the co-host Thais on Saturday, Vietnam on Tuesday and Myanam on Nov. 30.

“There’s going to be no easy games, but if get a result against Thailand, then that will set the tone for our campaign,” said  defender Rob Gier, who doubles as team scout.

Gier said Phl XI is stronger than the side that stunned the opposition two years ago.

“We’re still a counter-attacking team, but what’s important is we have just gotten better at it because of more games,” he added.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss said the win over Singapore should be a big morale booster heading to the Thailand game.

“It (recent Singapore friendly) tells me we have a comparatively solid backline, which denied many, many attempts of the opponent, particularly center back (Juani) Guirado and Gier. But we have some gaps in midfield, the lines were not compact enough, and we have to rectify that for Thailand match. But I’m quite positive with (Jerry) Lucena and (Paul) Mulders coming in, and most likely (Dennis) Cagara, we’ll be more stable,” said Weiss.

Overall, the German mentor expressed confidence of their chances.

“We’ll try our best and we’ll  be very strong. I’m very positive and optimistic of getting us to the semifinals,” he said.