Preview: Philippines v Australia

A look into the Group B encounter

Preview: Philippines v Australia
©AFC

MUMBAI: The Philippines' head coach, Alen Stajcic, claims he will put his personal feelings aside when he takes on former employers Australia in a blockbuster AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 encounter on Monday.

With Australia having scored 18 goals against Indonesia and the Philippines have just defeated Thailand, the match puts first against second in Group B, with the winner at Mumbai Football Arena almost guaranteed to move to the knockout round with a game to spare.

Few, if any, coaches in the history of the AFC Women's Asian Cup have likely been in Stajcic's scenario.

After leading the Matildas to the finals in both the 2014 and 2018 editions, his career ended unexpectedly in early 2019, with the 48-year-old spending time in men's club football before taking over as head coach of the Philippines on the eve of India 2022.

When the draw was made in late October, much was made of Stajcic's links to the Matildas, but while he retains a thorough understanding of the Australian side, he is completely committed to guiding his new team to higher heights.

“It’s obviously going to be an interesting game for me personally,” he said. 

“In a coaching role like this when you coach another national team, it’s such an honour. My allegiance to where I was born and raised will get put to one side. I’m fully behind this Philippine team that I've spent the last three months with. We’ve developed a really special bond there."

“They’ve already had a special bond with each other for a long period of time, the core group of players. I feel privileged to be allowed to come into that family and into that close knit circle. They’re like a family unit in this playing group and they've really welcomed me with open arms. 

“We’re going to do everything we possibly can to give them the best chance of representing their country at the best level they can. And we saw a good example of that against Thailand.” 

The Thailand encounter was a watershed event for the Philippines, who had never beaten their regional rivals in 12 attempts at the senior level and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup in Jordan by Chaba Kaew.

The win over Thailand demonstrated, what the Philippines team is capable of under Stajcic, with goal scorer Chandler McDaniel and Sweden-based debutant Katrina Guillou making outstanding contributions, but the experienced coach said they must quickly turn their attention to the challenge against the tournament's highest ranked contender.

“It’s a big weight off the shoulders of the players who’ve been in this team for a long time,” he said. 

“In that respect, it’s fantastic but ultimately we’ve got a big game against Australia who are such a powerful team and one of the best teams in the world. We really need to refocus for the next game.” 

Australia had journalists sprinting for the record books as they delivered a show of strength to the whole competition against Indonesia on Friday, but they are set to be put to the test against the Philippines.

In Friday's post-match press conference, Matildas boss Tony Gustavsson deftly explained that his decision to deploy a virtual full-strength line-up against the Indonesians was based on chemistry and match fitness, but the Swedish boss insists his team will play the same way going forward, regardless of personnel or formation.

“We worked on two different formations - 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 - throughout the last 12 months,” he said. “So we have the flexibility to go in and out from those two different shapes. The one thing that is always going to stay the same, though, is the way we play. 

“We’re always going to be a high-octane, high-energy running team that presses a lot and wins the ball back in attacking areas. We’re going to be attacking minded in everything we do. 

“The formation is a tool to apply the principles, but the DNA and the core values of this team are always going to be the same.” 

Australia enters the competition as the top two goal scorers and five of the top eight scorers, thanks to Sam Kerr's five goals against Indonesia and Emily van Egmond's hat-trick.

Australia and the Philippines have only met once, with the Matildas winning 7-0 in the 2008 AFF Championship.

(SportsAction)