DESPITE their short training together and not having all the players he wanted, British coach Scott Cooper believes the Philippine Azkals cannot overlooked by the other squads in the AFF Suzuki Cup kicking off this Sunday in Singapore.
“This is a national team that is not easy to play against,” Cooper said yesterday in an online press conference organized by Tap Go and Premier Football, which will broadcast the games in the Philippines.
The Filipino booters are bracketed in Group A with five-time champion Thailand, host Singapore, which has won the event four times; Myanmar and Timor Leste.
The Azkals open their campaign against the Lions on Dec. 8 at the 55,000-seat Singapore National Stadium.
“We have an identity. We are organized, we are committed, and we have the desire (to win). We do have a plan and we know what we want to do,” added the mentor, who will call the shots for Azkals in the Suzuki Cup for the first time after serving as deputy to Swedish coach Sven Goran Eriksson in the 2018 edition of the tourney.
Joining Cooper in the briefing were Philippine Football Federation President Mariano Araneta Jr., Azkals team manager Dan Palami, newly-naturalized striker Bienvenido Maranon, and veteran defender Martin Steuble.
“The Azkals will be embarking on another challenge in the next few days. The COVID-19 situation has not made this any easier so I salute all the players and the rest of the team who have answered the call to represent the country in the Suzuki Cup,” Araneta said.
“Even with the challenges we trust you will give 110 percent for the flag.”
The football chief noted this was the tournament “that will always be remembered where the Azkals first gained recognition and respect of our Southeast Asian neighbors” following their surprise semifinal finish in the 2010 edition.
The national side repeated the feat in 2012, 2014 and 2018, and Cooper hopes the Azkals will go a step further despite the challenges they are up against in Southeast Asia’s premier men’s football competition.
