PH men’s football team ‘gives me a lot of hope,’ says new coach Capellas 

MANILA, Philippines – New Philippine football team coach Albert Capellas feels upbeat just a month since taking over the men’s team, commending the players for quickly adapting to his system ahead of the 50th King’s Cup, the first tournament under his watch. 

“I’m very positive,” Capellas said of the team’s chances in the tournament set on October 11-14 in Thailand, where they’ll face the host Thais, Tajikistan, and Syria.

Capellas said he’s impressed how the Filipino players embraced his system, shifting gears following the Merdeka Cup last month where the Philippines — then left without a coach — narrowly lost to host Malaysia, 1-0, and Tajikistan, 4-3, via penalty shootout.

“We just had three days to change the way we play. And when I saw the game against Tajikistan, I started to see a lot of things that are aligned with the way we want — more courage in pressing forward and trying to win the ball,” said Capellas during a recent press conference with Philippine Football Federation officials.  

“I saw a lot of players could play in that way, and they loved it. And that gives me a lot of hope.” 

Capellas replaced Tom Saintfiet, the Belgian coach who left the Philippine squad after only six months and just days before the Merdeka Cup.

But the national squad had since moved forward. 

New brand of football

Capellas wants to see more activity from the Filipinos on the field, which, he said, would allow them to have more scoring opportunities and perhaps pull upsets in the region.

“We also want to create more chances, we want to win the ball back as quick as possible when we lose the ball,” he said. 

“That means we need to press forward and press high to pick up the ball and closer to the opponent’s goal.”

In the King’s Cup, the Filipinos will face Thailand on October 11, while Syria and Tajikistan will compete in the other pairing of the four-team tournament organized by the Football Association of Thailand. 

The winning teams will advance to the finals, while the other two will play in the third-place match. 

“I want to create as many chances as possible, but that has to be a balance between attack and defense — that everyone has to work on attack and everyone has to work on defense,” said Capellas.

“That is something I can bring, to help them to control more how to play the games, because the talent and quality are there,” he added. 

The Spanish mentor, 56, has been coaching around the world for over 33 years, including a decade with FC Barcelona. 

Missing veterans

Capellas, however, must do without three veterans in the King’s Cup — Michael and Matthew Baldissimo, and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who now plays for the Thai League 1 champions Buriram United.

Goalie Kevin Rey Mendoza, Joshua Grommen, Jesper Nyholm, and Christian Rontini took over their spots.

Capellas hopes to instill a winning mindset as they aim for positive results not just in the King’s Cup, but also in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup in December, where they expect to have more time to grow as a team. 

“I am a coach that will never lose a game before the game,” a hopeful Capellas said. 

PHILIPPINE LINEUP

Goalkeepers

• Deyto, Patrick
• Mendoza, Kevin Ray
• Kammeraad, Quincy

Defenders

• Aguinaldo, Amani
• Grommen, Joshua
• Kempter, Michael
• Menzi, Audie
• Rontini, Christian
• Rublico, Santiago
• Tabinas, Jefferson
• Tabinas, Paul

Midfielders

• Bailey, Zico
• Ott, Manuel
• Reichelt, Patrick
• Reyes, Sandro
• Strauß, Patrick
• Woods, Scott

Forwards

• Demuynck, Dylan
• Holtmann, Gerrit
• Kristensen, Bjørn
• Monis, Alex
• Rasmussen, Sebastian
• Gayoso, Jarvey

– Rappler.com