Philippine national men’s football team interim coach Carles Cuadrat vows to continue building on the system laid out by former tactician Albert Capellas.
Cuadrat said given the familiarity of the squad to Capellas’ possession-based style of play, it would be wise for them not to stray away from it.
The nationals are facing Tajikistan at press time for their second match in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
“The main thing is that we don’t have a lot of time in a training camp, so it means that we have to really play to keep doing the things that we already know and that will bring us to a good way to play the game,” said Cuadrat, who served as an assistant to Capellas.
“Then from here, let’s see what’s going on in the future, but I think that the team has shown that there are some things in the system that we already know. So we have to keep pushing hard in that direction.”
Capellas’ system saw the Philippines return to the semifinals of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup, previously known as the Mitsubishi Electric Cup, last year after a six-year absence.
The Nationals even pushed powerhouse Thailand to the limit in their semis clash before losing 3-4 on aggregate.
Capellas’ system also gave the Philippines an impressive 4-1 win over Maldives in their Asian Cup Qualifers match last March.
Cuadrat said the players, led by Sandro Reyes, Bjorn Kristensen and Amani Aguinaldo, have the hunger and the drive to win to complement their playing style.