Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — In the wake of the 2-0 victory over Yemen in the second round of the World Cup Qualifiers, former Azkals coach Simon McMenemy gave his take on what the Philippines needs to improve on to get to the next level.
The wins against Bahrain and Yemen have lifted the Philippines into joint first place with North Korea in their World Cup Qualification group.
For McMenemy, the game against Yemen showcased a Filipino side that looks deserving of that position.
“I think that was the most complete performance from an Azkals team in quite awhile,” said McMenemy.
Under current coach Thomas Dooley’s 3-5-2 system, the Filipinos held the lion’s share of possession against the Yemeni which allowed them to dictate the tempo of the match.
McMenemy though still believes that the Azkals still have a lot to work on, particularly in set pieces.
This was evident in the amount of set pieces that the Philippines failed to fashion chances from during the match.
“I think that was one thing that we can that we can certainly improve on for our next games in the qualifiers, ” said McMenemy. “Set pieces can be crucial, they can decide a game one way or another.”
Related: Azkals handle Yemen, 2-0
The Azkals also have had trouble executing that final ball to create a chance after doing well to build up the play and keep the ball.
“It’s great dictating the tempo, it’s great being able to keep possession,” said McMenemy. “But when the final ball isn’t good enough, and there were too many times in the first half when they get themselves into good positions and it’s just that final pass.
“I think that final pass, they kind of struggled with a little bit.”
McMenemy though has seen enough to harbor the belief that the Azkals are headed in the right direction.
