Philippine coach honored to face Vietnam
* Vietnam - Philippines: 18h Wednesday, December 14, on MetaSports.
Josep Ferre has just assumed the position of head coach of the Philippines since December 8. Before that, this Spanish military leader worked in Thailand in the period 2013-2017 and gradually got to know Vietnamese football. Mr. Ferre's first impression was the rivalry between Thai and Vietnamese football.
"I have been following Vietnamese football and have seen a very good development in the past five years, becoming the second strongest football in the region," said Mr. Hang Day yard. "I feel honored to face the Vietnamese team tomorrow."
Early in his career, Mr. Ferre worked at Barca's La Masia academy. After that, he wandered to many countries such as Hong Kong, India, Puerto Rico, Thailand but failed. This coach admitted that it was difficult when he had too little time to work with the Philippines team. In the five days since taking office, Ferre mainly got to know the Filipino players and emphasized focusing on what is at hand towards the AFF Cup 2022.
The Philippines brought 23 players to Hanoi, but most of them were U23s. This is also the squad that will attend the AFF Cup 2022. The best and most famous Filipino players cannot attend for many reasons. "The AFF Cup is not on the FIFA calendar so it is difficult for us to gather all the quality players who are playing far away at club level. But I think this is an opportunity for young players to play and mature. Not always they are. there is also an opportunity like this," said Mr. Ferre.
Attending the press conference, captain midfielder Stephan Schrock considered the friendly match against a strong team like Vietnam as a good opportunity to review the Philippines' squad and preparation for the 2022 AFF Cup.
Schrock played with the Philippines against Vietnam in the 2018 AFF Cup semi-finals and lost both matches. At the age of 36, this midfielder is still playing at his peak in the ADT shirt in the Philippine national championship, and is an example for many young players. He said he still maintains the motivation to play at the top at this age in part thanks to the inspiration from older players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi. Schrock shared: "I have watched the World Cup, where many players even older than me still play and succeed. This helps me to be motivated to play and hopefully show good form over time. next".
The Philippines meets Vietnam at Hang Day Stadium at 6pm tomorrow, December 14, which is their only friendly match in preparation for the 2022 AFF Cup.
