Weiss is Azkals' 'wise' guy

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO

MANILA, Philippines � German Hans Michael Weiss could just be the right guy for the Philippine Azkals.

Barely a month since being named as the team�s head coach, Weiss helped polish the offensive skills of the Azkals as proven by their 2-0 win over Mongolia in the first leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying series in Bacolod City.

In that game, the Azkals had 32 attempts � some of them just hit the bar while most were caught by the Mongolian goalkeeper.

�I think he (Weiss) saw the team�s problems (in offense),� Azkals team manager Dan Palami said recently. �And he found solutions to it.�

Palami credited Weiss, who succeeded British Simon McMenemy, for improving the Azkals� offensive pattern.

Comparing their performance to the time when they reached the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals against Indonesia last year, Palami said there�s a big difference.

�We now have more options in offense and the players are responding well to him (Weiss) in practice,� Palami said of Weiss, who began on Monday to whip his boys into fighting form in Baguio City for their rematch with Mongolia in Ulan Bator.

�Phil (Younghusband) is no longer the only option. Ian (Araneta) was there. Chieffy (Caligdong) was there. And Simon (Greatwich) was there. More players are now involved in offense.�

�If you look at our game in Indonesia (Suzuki Cup semis), our offense revolves on Phil. Ibigay lang yung bola sa kanya bahala na siya to do his thing in the middle. So pag-naclamp down siya ng defense, nasisira na diskarte ng team (Just give him the ball, it's up to him to do his thing in the middle. So when [the other team's] defense clamps down on him, the team's strategies are foiled.),� Palami said.

Manila Bulletin