The Philippines' remaining "cards"

Given their current form, the attacking line, consisting of wingers Reichelt and Schrock, and captain Phil Younghusband, are irreplaceable unless they are injured. The defense includes goalkeeper Falkesgaard, and defenders Steuble, De Murga, Alvaro Silva, and Reed; left-back Reed will be substituted when the Philippines need to attack, playing with three central defenders.

Substitutes: 1 goalkeeper, 5 players

In our opinion, the starting lineup of the Philippines national team has only one change compared to the first leg. 23-year-old German-born player Mike Ott (5) came on to play alongside Kevin Ingreso (14), also 25-year-old German-born, replacing central midfielder Manuel Ott (8)..Thus, compared to the group stage, the Philippines national team has replaced its central midfield pairing, as John-Patrick Strauss was recalled to his club and Manuel Ott suffered an injury in the first half of the first leg of the semi-final.

Captain Phil Younghusband (4) remains the biggest hope for the visiting team. Photo: Internet

So, besides reserve goalkeeper Patrick Deyto (16), heEriksson had exactly 5 players out of the field: That was center-back Aguinaldo (12), 3 midfielders Iain Ramsay (7),Curt Dizon (19), James Younghusband (23) and striker Paul Mulders (22), 37 years old, of Dutch origin.

Aside from injuries, goalkeepers and center-backs are positions that are rarely replaced, so coach Eriksson only has 4 players available for 3 substitutions, focusing on the attack. Perhaps the 70-year-old coach has never been in such a situation in his coaching career.

According to Philippine experts, 32-year-old English-born player James Younghusband (23) is still the most promising "card" to replace Bedic in recent matches. James Younghusband plays as a winger in the Philippines national team's 4-3-3 formation. In addition, 24-year-old English-born Curt Dizon (19) can play on the left wing instead of defender A.Reed (31) to switch to a 3-4-3 formation like in the first leg.

Eriksson only has one substitution left for the 30-year-old Australian left midfielder Iain Ramsay (7), the 23-year-old young center-back Aguinaldo (12), and the 37-year-old Dutch veteran Paul Mulders (22), and of course the reserve goalkeeper Patrick Deyto (16).This includes the possibility of attacking players like Iain Ramsay andPaul Mulders is taller than the other two.

In the four group stage matches, the Philippines national team played with a 4-4-2 formation with strikers Phil Younghusband and Bedic, but in the first leg of the semi-final, surprisingly, coach Eriksson switched to a 4-5-1 formation with more freedom of movement. In the situation where Reichelt scored, Phil Younghusband drifted to the right to provide the assist.

Reichelt, Schrock, and Bedic took turns playing as the central striker, with Reichelt receiving the most passes on the right flank, defended by Ngoc Hai. While Coach Park exploited the space behind the central defensive duo of De Murga and Alvaro Silva, Coach Eriksson capitalized on the space behind Trong Hoang and Van Hau.

The role of brothersJames, Phil

Regardless of the formation, the two brothers, James Younghusband, 32, and Phil, 31, will be key pillars of the Philippine national team. Given their age, Coach Eriksson wants to avoid having these two veterans (whose father was English (deceased in 2003), an accountant, and who were born in the suburbs of London, with a mother who is a true Filipino) participate in physically demanding training sessions.

It is highly likely that midfielder Huy Hùng will be brought onto the field. Photo: Internet

In the first leg of the semi-final, Phil Younghusband dropped deep to focus on playmaking, while Reichelt, Schrock, and James Younghusband formed the three main attacking players in a 3-4-3 formation. These players are all over 1.80m tall, so aerial duels will likely be a tactic the visitors employ, even continuously, to wear down the Vietnamese defense and wait for mistakes. This will certainly be the first option that Coach Eriksson will use at My Dinh Stadium.

If Paul Mulders is used, the Philippines national team will employ an additional tactic of quick passing and movement within the 16.5-meter box. Having played for the Philippines national team for many years, and being the second oldest player at the 2018 AFF Cup (after Brazilian-born striker Beto Goncalves of Indonesia), his experience is undeniable.

Clearly, compared to the visiting team, Coach Park Hang-seo has more options, as currently only Van Toan and Hung Dung are recovering from injuries in the Vietnamese national team. Not to mention, the 40,000 Vietnamese fans are a huge source of motivation for the players.