There are several nations that will be making their debuts at the World Cup this year, and one of those is the Philippines, who qualified after overcoming Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Women’s AFC Asian Cup. There is understandably a great deal of excitement at the prospect of the island nation competing in a major tournament finals of any gender — and with the women’s team achieving their highest-ever world ranking back in 2020, when they rose to 65th in the world, before then improving on that still further when they reached 54th, there is little doubt that the women’s game in the Philippines is moving from strength to strength.
As a result of their qualification for the World Cup, they were invited to participate in this year’s Pinatar Cup, held as always at the Pinatar Arena in southeastern Spain, where they featured in a round-robin format along with Wales, Scotland and Iceland. That allowed them to test their abilities against higher-level opposition than they are used to locking horns with and gave them a taste of what it would be like to play against the best in the world. Even though they lost all three matches, they put on some noteworthy displays, and there will be some who will be looking forward to seeing them again when the World Cup gets underway later this month.
This tactical analysis will look at the Filipinas’ game in greater detail, picking out their key tactics, naming the players that could make a difference for them on the field and analysing their wider squad options, all whilst shedding light on a side that not many will have witnessed on a football pitch before.
Predicted Starting XI
It is tricky to predict the Philippines’ starting XI, due to the fact that they like to mix things around from game to game, and it is rare to see them not make either positional or personnel changes between each encounter.
However, the lineup predicted in this analysis has been selected by looking at which players feature more often than not, and one of those who is almost certain to start is goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, sometimes also known as Olivia Davies-McDaniel, with her undeniably the first choice between the posts and someone that has the full trust of Australian head coach Alen Stajcic. She is currently unattached to a club, so a strong performance in this tournament could help her to secure a move once it comes to an end.
In front of her, Malea Cesar, who is currently on the books of New South Wales side Blacktown City, and Sofia Harrison, who left Frauen-Bundesliga side Werder Bremen Frauen in December, will likely start at full-back, with both being specialists in those roles and fitting well into the Philippines’ style of play. Between them, it is almost certain that Kaya-Iloilo’s Hali Long will start and whilst there are a number of players that she could be joined by, Kalmar’s Jessika Cowart is the one that is named in the graphic above due to her ability to play out from the back and so offer something different to those around her.
In midfield, there are again various combinations that could be deployed, but the one that utilises some of the Philippines’ key names is the partnership of captain Tahnai Annis, who plays for Þór/KA in the Icelandic top flight, and Sara Eggesvik who plays her football for Norwegian club KIL/Hemne. Outside them, Quinley Quezada of Red Star Belgrade was instrumental in getting the team to the World Cup, whilst West Virginia Mountaineers forward Isabella Flanigan offers pace and a threat in behind that could prove useful during transitions.
In the forward positions, there are two players who are key to the Philippines’ tactics. They are Piteå’s Katrina Guillou and Western Sydney Wanderers Women’s Sarina Bolden. If both are fit and if the Philippines continue with their favoured 4-2-2 setup, then it is highly likely that both will be included from the off.
With the Philippines not having the luxury of selecting their squad from high-profile leagues, many of their players come from either colleges in the USA or from clubs lower down their national pyramids. As such, when looking at the spread of ages in the team, there is a significant bias towards the younger generations, with the youngest member of the squad being Isabella Paison, who is just 16 years old.
However, when it comes to tournament football, there is a definite requirement to have players who can balance out that youth with experience, and that is something that the Filipinas do well due to the presence of Annis. It helps that their leader is the oldest player in the team as they will naturally be the player that the others look up to when they need someone to spark them into life.
Attacking Phase
Whilst they are a relatively unknown quantity, there are a lot of positives when it comes to the Philippines’ attacking play, with them ranking particularly highly in percentile terms for goals per game and the percentage of shots that they get on target. The fact that these are two of their statistical strengths is perhaps a reflection of the way that they like to push forward and play a brand of football that sees them get on the front foot and pin their opponents back, allowing them to target key passing options with long balls. This explains why they don’t have an especially high ranking for passes per game.
That desire to push forwards is shown here, with Guillou moving up the field and looking to stretch the pitch vertically. The resulting effect on the Chilean defence is clear as they are now unable to close the ball down due to the risk of leaving the Philippines forward with a clear route to goal.
That then creates a gap between the two areas of the Chilean team, which is where the Philippines can look to move the ball into and control the flow of the game, with them now having time to pick the right pass and not needing to rush their play due to there being no pressure from the opposition; that is the key point as it gives them a better chance of creating goalscoring opportunities but without needing to take any unnecessary risks.
However, whilst the forward line, in that case only Guillou as Bolden started on the bench, were doing what they needed to do, making that tactic successful only happens if the rest of the team play their part too. That means that when initial passes into the forwards are cleared, those behind need to be ready to win second balls and keep their attacks alive.
Fortunately, as with a lot of the Philippines’ offensive play, this is something that is ingrained in the mentality of the whole squad, so it is common to see players spotting these loose passes and running to control them before they can be cleared yet further away from the goal. In this case, Quezada is the player who has made the run to secure possession, and it is clear that Chile as a result cannot relax and have to maintain their focus.
Having midfielders and other deeper players who can make these runs also has a positive effect on the forward line, as they don’t need to track back as often and therefore can focus on what is happening ahead of them and on continuing to keep the opposing defensive line as far back as possible, again giving those behind them time to control the ball and work their magic. A lot of what gives them such potency in possession is down to the teamwork that runs through every aspect of their play.
Defensive Phase
When it comes to their defending, it is clear to see from the graphic that defensive duels per game is the statistic that the Philippines perform best in, in percentile terms. That is of no surprise when watching their performances because they have proven on plenty of occasions to be a tough side to get around. There are several players who typify this robustness out of possession and work hard to bring opposing attacks to a premature end.
Another standout area of their play is their ability to make interceptions, with them performing just as well in this statistic. This shows how they are not just a team who sit back and wait for things to happen, but that they like to get onto the front foot and force the issue where they can.
However, when it comes to the aerial duels, it is interesting to see that they don’t engage in as many battles off the ground, but that they still win a reasonable number of contests whenever they do need to get their head onto the ball. One player who is central to this, with her always looking to lead by example and being the rock that the rest of the defence is built around, is Long, and it is this that makes her a cert to be included in the starting XI. Despite her side losing all three matches at the Pinatar Cup, she stood out as someone who was willing to do what was necessary to block crosses and shots and slow the play down in any way that she could.
However, it is not a recent addition to her individual game; instead, it is something that she has been doing for a long time, with her taking up a deep position in the game against tournament co-hosts New Zealand last year. The fact that she gets up well here to intercept the cross from Celtic Women’s Olivia Chance to Brisbane Roar Women’s Indiah-Paige Riley shows how she continuously recognises where the threat is and works hard to ensure that her team are as robust and difficult to break down as possible.
If the Filipinas are to have any chance of keeping their opponents out, then they will need Long to be in top form, because without her making these types of interceptions and clearances, they will struggle to prevent opponents from finding ways through them.
However, it is not only Long who will be depended upon to make the Philippines tough to beat, because as with their attacking play, the key theme in their play out of possession is teamwork. As a result, when they lose the ball, players often work together to ensure that they are as difficult to break down as possible, and what is really clever is that they can make little adjustments depending on who they are playing and what the biggest tests are.
Against Wales, they knew that plenty of balls would be transferred out to the wings and the half-spaces and would then be sent back into the middle for players to get on the end of in the middle, so they focused intently on limiting the space that Gemma Grainger’s side had to play in when they did look to make those deliveries.
As a result, situations like this were common, with them staying together in a line and providing Wales with only a narrow corridor to move the ball into. The fact that the cross from Liverpool Women’s Ceri Holland here went straight into the arms of the waiting McDaniel showed just how effective this was in preventing Wales from attacking as they normally like to.
The likelihood is that Stajcic’s side will not control games and will spend a lot of time without the ball. However, if they can keep their discipline in moments like this, then they could prove to be a tough nut for their opponents to crack. This is something that could win them fans as they try to show that they belong on the world stage.
Transitions
That impressive organisation extends to their transitional play too, especially when they lose the ball and have to instantly switch focus from pushing forward to getting behind the ball. However, again, it is not only about doing the basics well and is instead about finding extra details that they can add to their game to make them a tough side to score against. Here, versus Wales, they were able to show another aspect of their defensive play that could be useful at the World Cup.
To explain, what is clear in this example is that they have a solid 4-4-2, with players once again understanding their roles and working for the good of the team. Rather than sitting back though, they do look to force the issue and to remind Wales that they are there, but they don’t close the ball down completely as some teams might do, and only take a few steps towards the ball in turn, just to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of the Welsh players.
That then increases the risk of a stray pass occurring as Wales are transferring the ball around, with them knowing that any small mistakes will be capitalised on, and it didn’t take long for that to take its toll as Ceri Holland controlled Reading Women midfielder Rachel Rowe’s ball into her feet but then underhit her pass towards Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Angharad James, allowing Eggesvik to make an easy interception.
In effect, by sitting back and then pressing only slightly, the Philippines managed to trick Wales into thinking that they had more time than they actually did, and that’s what caught Wales out. It is a common sight to see when the Philippines lose the ball, and it is definitely something else that will help them to be resolute at the back and tough to beat when the action gets underway in a few weeks’ time.
Once they win the ball, the initial instinct is to pump a long ball up the field and find whoever is offering the passing option at the top of the pitch, as has been highlighted previously in the scout report. However, that is not the only way that they can play in transition, with them also capable of keeping the ball on the ground and through the thirds. This adds variety to their game which, again, makes them an interesting and exciting team to watch.
In this case, with Singapore leaving enough room for them to progress up the field at will, the Philippines have opted to utilise that alternative build-up method, with Cesar advancing further forwards than she might have done if she was aiming to play a long ball and instantly finding Annis with her inside pass, who then sends the ball to Eggesvik to create a goalscoring opportunity. The captain is an attacking midfielder by trade, so is known for her passing range and ability to unlock different areas of the pitch and control the flow of the game, and those all stand out in situations like this.
Therefore, when the Philippines do win the ball, it would not be a surprise to see Annis at the heart of their creative play, and there is little doubt that she is the one that they look to when they do need someone to act as a pivot and connect the rest of the team.
Defenders
As mentioned at the beginning of the scout report, the Philippines are not blessed with a lot of choice when it comes to wider squad options. A lot of their players are required to double up from time to time and to specialise in a couple of roles. As a result, it will be common to see players like Dominique Randle play as a centre-back in one game and then as a full-back in the next, or to see Cowart play in the back four and then move into a midfield position.
This does, at times, lead to some disruption when it comes to forming partnerships, with each player being different and each pairing built on different characteristics, but it is worth seeing who Stajcic puts into his back line and in which games and how often he rotates because it is likely that he could change his starting backline in every game as he continually looks to find the best solution for each eventuality.
Midfielders
It is the same story when it comes to the midfield, but the key thing to look at in this area of the team is the way that the Philippines change their formation to either increase or decrease the number of players in the central third. Sometimes they play with a 4-4-2 and look to maintain balance across the field, and sometimes there is a need for additional screening of the defensive line and so a 4-2-3-1 might be used.
This doesn’t only change between matches and can alter during them too, and it is clear when watching them that Stajcic has worked on a number of different systems and formations on the training ground, with the idea being that he can set his midfield up in any way possible. The fact that they have made it to the World Cup is proof of the success that has come from that way of thinking.
Attackers
The forward areas are where the Philippines are perhaps the most deprived of options, as mentioned previously, with them only really having Bolden, Guillou and Chandler McDaniel (sister of goalkeeper Olivia) as their main options in that area of the field.
However, to ensure that they don’t become exposed in that area, should there be injury issues or other absences, they do have players further back who can slot into the forward line, and players like Carleigh Frilles of Blacktown Spartans and Meryll Serrano of Stabæk are just two of those who can double up where required and adapt depending on what is asked of them.
Given that they don’t have many like-for-like replacements, it would be no surprise to see some of those players being introduced and to witness some tinkering and experimentation during and between matches.
Key Player
As mentioned, when finding a key player in the Philippines’ ranks, the name that immediately stands out is that of Annis, with her central to everything that they do well; this is reflected in the way that she has strengths in all three areas of this graphic.
Being an attacking midfielder by trade, it is natural that she should be among the better players in percentile terms for shots on goal, but the fact that her highest statistics in percentile terms when it comes to possession are passes per game and progressive passes per game shows how her first thought is not always to shoot at goal and is often to make the right decision and to recognise when a teammate is in a better area of the field, and that is where her ability to be a leader really comes into its own.
Again, this was evident in the earlier example, when she took up a position from which she could link different sections of the pitch together, and it is clear that she can provide most of what the Filipinas will be looking for in this tournament. She will be a prominent aspect of any hopes that they have of performing well in the World Cup.
Tournament Prediction
As much as it would be nice to say that the Philippines will cause a stir at the tournament, it is unfortunately more realistic to say that they will struggle to get points on the board and will likely end up at the foot of the table.
However, what will encourage their fans and those who enjoy upsets and supporting the underdog is that all three of New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland can have their off days, so there is a chance that the Philippines’ game plan, as highlighted throughout this analysis, will cause them all a few headaches that they will need to negotiate. New Zealand will provide their best chance of realistically earning points; even getting one on the board would be a huge achievement for the Philippines.
Regardless of how they do though, they have done really well to make it to the finals, and the players and their fans should enjoy the experience and also learn from it, so that they can hopefully return at some point in the future.
