Five Takeaways from Tito Jay: Revamped Azkals succumb to clinical Kuwait

Photo Credits: Kuwait Football Association

With a new system under head coach Barae Jrondi, the Philippine Azkals put on a gallant stand against Kuwait in their FIFA International Friendly match but failed to mount revenge against their 2012 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers tormentors as they lost via two goals to nil.

There were a lot of uncertainties heading into the international friendlies but the valiant boys in white, who sported a new look with a brand new kit designed by Jerseybird, took on Kuwait who, despite being ranked 14 places below the Azkals in the world rankings, showed more finesse and experience against a side who’s currently in their rebuilding stages.

After a 72nd-minute rocket from Bader Al Fadhel and a defensive mishap in the 84th minute which was taken advantage of by Ali Khalaf, the Philippines goes back to the drawing board as they prepare for another friendly match, this time, against Jordan who’s ranked 50 places above the Azkals. Without further ado, let’s go to Tito Jay’s takeaways as we dissect the match against Kuwait.

1) Youthful side, youthful coach

Photo Credits: Kuwait Football Association

In their efforts to revamp what was once a glorious team who surprised powerhouse nations from left to right, the Azkals employed the services of Barae Jrondi, a young and budding coach with plenty of experience to boast for.

A well-decorated coach at the tender age of 30, Jrondi boasts four different coaching licenses; AFC, UEFA, CAF, and English FA. With his experience in Asia, Jrondi hopes to bring back the glory days of the Azkals and create new histories with his multi-year deal with the Azkals.

Right off the bat, the Azkals showed a lot of promise under his system with a more precise ball distribution compared to previous years. He’s also given confidence to a squad that's flooded with talented players who seemed to perform better individually instead of working as a single unit. Hopefully, and God-willing, this will bring a better system to the men’s national team program in order for us to forget the struggles of the past and move forward to a brighter future.

2) Santi Rublico, another hidden gem discovered

Photo Credits: Kuwait Football Association

If there's one thing the Philippines are good at, it must be unearthing its hidden gems. Santi Rublico, an 18-year-old defender who is also a part of Atletico Madrid’s youth system debuted for the Philippines senior team, securing his allegiance to the flag as he was eligible to play for Spain as well before his first senior cap with the Azkals

Rublico, who's a natural defender slotted in as a right winger for the Azkals in their match against Kuwait and he did not disappoint. In his first full match with the Philippines, Rublico produced some quality chances for the Philippines while helping his side minimize the damage caused by Kuwait.

As observed by many football fans who watched his exploits in his debut, a team can be built around him and the other youngsters in the squad. Some also said that having Sandro Reyes around with Rublico could do wonders for the national side.

However, that thought would have to wait as the Philippines have some convincing to do to keep Rublico joining the squad in all of its camps during his availability. The Azkals need to ensure Rublico that despite the country's struggles, there will come a time when they will rise again and a team will be built around him and all the other wonder kids the Philippines discovered.

3) Abundance of strikers, lack of goals

Goals win games other than great defense and it is quite evident that the Azkals need to find their scoring boots now or we'll be in for another tough ride this year. The Philippines, over the last five matches, have scored an average of 1.6 goals per match, however, it doesn't paint the entire picture here.

If not for that huge 5-1 win against Brunei in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup, we would've been averaging way less than what was mentioned above. Some may say that the problem is with the playing style, others would say that the team can't create good plays which lead to goalscoring opportunities.

I beg to disagree. Our problem is not being able to utilize the striking options we have in our squad. This cannot be blamed on Jrondi though as he just arrived and would have to rely heavily on the recommendations of the other coaches in the squad who's been working with the national team for quite some time now.

Looking into the squad for this window, the Philippines have a couple more options with Jarvey Gayoso, Finn McDaniel, and of course, Bienvenido Marañon, whom we've naturalized for these types of situations.

No offense to how Mark Hartmann plays but it is safe to say that he's well past his prime now and is no longer fitted to be that lone striker upfront. Yes, he has the height advantage and experience but the Philippines need more than that if we want to go back to our winning ways.

For example, Hartmann could've been given about 45-60 minutes as a striker then if it doesn't work, slide him down to an attacking midfield position or replace him with Marañon. On that note, I think it is time to insert this witty tweet here.

Sorry, not sorry though, as this assessment is not even subject to bias but is backed by stats over the last five international matches of the Azkals. Plus, it just actually makes sense to use a different striker from time to time to see what would actually work for the Azkals.

Unless the Azkals coaching staff AND management find a solution to this, it will take a very long time before the country sees itself become successful again.

4) Improved ball movement, same old panic moments at the back

Since the Azkals' campaign in the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup with former coach Josep Ferre, they slowly transitioned from route one football to a more dynamic approach where they get to pass the ball around until an opening presents itself.

Now, with coach Jrondi guiding the squad in its preparation for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers which would happen around October, the Azkals are expected to make huge strides once again and a more polished playing style.

In their match against Kuwait, the Philippines had plenty of share of the ball and they tried to make it work. I do believe that given enough time with the squad, coach Jrondi might just be able to turn things around for the Philippines given the number of talents we have in our squad.

However, he will have his work cut out for him as there's still a lot to work on, especially in defense. Kuwait's second goal against the Azkals was caused by a mishap in defense giving Al-Azraq acres of space to operate and convert into a goal.

Gone are the days when the Azkals can confidently play with a back three. We should be able to utilize a more compact formation that would allow us to build up from the back instead of sending the ball forward.

5) Let. The. Youngsters. Play.

Photo credits: The Azkals

The FIFA International window allows different nations to experiment with their squad to find the perfect mix that could work for upcoming tournaments. However, for the Philippines, it has been an avenue to find new talents and make immediate strides in the rankings. This has to change if we want to see ourselves getting the better of our Southeast Asian neighbors.

Waiting on the sidelines for the Azkals during their match against Kuwait were youngsters eager to prove their worth for the national team. Yes, the experience will not be there but that's the reason why you should use them, let alone, let them start for the Philippines.

The likes of Jarvey Gayoso, Dennis Chung, and even Finn McDaniel, who are quite on form thanks to their involvement in the Philippines Football League, should've gone out on the field with about 20-30 minutes of playing time.

I personally think that these youngsters should be given a chance to be in that starting lineup. One way or another, they will have to be part of that starting squad in an international match.

Question is, why do we have to wait for long if you can do it now? We are in the rebuilding stage of the men's team and truth be told, WE HAVEN'T GOT THIS ONE FIGURED OUT YET. So there's no right or wrong for now.

The Philippines are not playing any crucial matches at the moment. What's crucial is how prepared are we when those matches come. Preparation is key, and part of the preparation is by exploring the depth of your squad AND the national pool.

I'm sure enough it wouldn't hurt to utilize players who are currently on form with their local clubs, especially the youngsters. That's the reason why we have the Azkals Development Team playing in the PFL. It's supposed to be a pipeline for talents to be fed to the national side.

To close this out, I'd like to leave a thought to all of you. If the ADT can feed young talents to the senior national team and, with their help, find other talents outside their squad and within the PFL, it will finally prove the main goal of the league, which is to make the Philippines self-sustainable.

Imagine a squad peppered with players from the PFL anchored by our mainstays who ply their trade overseas like Neil Etheridge, John Patrick Strauss, Michael Kempter, and Santi Rublico. One can only hope, right?

Disclaimer: The author’s piece is based solely on his opinion and does not reflect the views and opinions of Eat, Sleep, Breathe, Football, its hosts, and other members.