My ASEAN Cup Team of the Group stage
There are just so many good players throughout the group stage of the ASEAN Cup. So here's me trying to pick an XI out of that group of players!
It is almost the end of the ASEAN Cup…group stage, so it is time to highlight the individuals who have shined the most throughout the past matches. There have been many good players and it is hard to pick literally everyone into a single XI, so there will be players who miss out on being included. However, besides from highlighting the 11 players, I will also include honourable mentions (in bold text) to give the spotlight to more players who also deserve it.
Lineup
I was contemplating between a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-2-3-2 for the formation of the team. 4-2-3-1 is possibly one of the formations that are most commonly used throughout this tournament as a base formation, which can then be transformed into other variations like a 4-4-2, 4-1-4-1, 4-4-1-1, etc. One of those variations is a 3-2-5, which a few teams have used when they have the ball.
Having evaluated my options and tried to fit players into both formations, I have decided to go with a 3-2-3-2 for my team of the group stage. The formation gives me more midfield slots and also two striker slots to pick, but just enough defenders to highlight the standout ones.
I also decided to pick my team right at the end of the group stage because the group stage presents the best chance for me to analyse every teams and players through their style of play and strengths. Once the tournament gets to the semi-finals and the final, teams will get a bit more conservative or do not show their full strengths to grind out the result that they want, which can sway my judgements on certain players. The quality of this year’s group stage has also been very good and a lot of players deserve to be highlighted.
Without further ado, let’s get into the individual picks!
Goalkeeper: Patrick Deyto (Philippines)
This was a slightly tough pick for me because many teams have brought a higher defensive level and have conceded less goals, which also means keepers have played a crucial part in keeping the goals conceded tally down. But it comes down to two names, Patrick Deyto from the Philippines and Izwan Mahbud from Indonesia. Both have been outstanding for their nation and are one of the main reasons for the overperformance of their respective team.
I ended up choosing Deyto over Mahbud due to the amount of Singaporean players coming later on and I do not want my team to be a Singapore-heavy team. That is not to say that Mahbud is not good, however. And that is not the main reason, though, as I am actually impressed with Deyto’s performance throughout the group stage.
He has adapted very well to Albert Capellas’ possession-based style and led the Philippines’ build-up with short passes and his distributions. Whenever they tried to play out from the back, Deyto was happy to play the ball short to the centre-backs or the midfielders instead of clearing it long to the attackers. He still did it when the Philippines was chasing for goals or they could not play out due to heavy pressure from the opposition, but it was a lot less than usual.
His goalkeeping ability is also good as he has contributed to the Philippines’ record of just three goals conceded after 3 matches. He kept the team in the game on multiple occasions with his saves, the ability to command the box, and claiming crosses from the opposition. Deyto stepped into the #1 position as the Philippines’ first choice Neil Etheridge was not available and he is making a case for himself to be their starting keeper for the next few years.
Left centre-back: Michael Kempter (Philippines)
This was another position that I found quite tough to pick because I could have tried to find an actual centre-back to fill in this spot. Instead, I ended up with two great left-back options in Michael Kempter from the Philippines and Ryhan Stewart from Singapore, who can also play as centre-backs, so I just decided to pick either to fill in this left centre-back position, and it will be Kempter over Stewart (also partially because of the Singapore’s dominance up front).
The second Filipino member of the team and also the second member of the defence, but his performance so far in his debut tournament for the Azkals justifies the spot and have been nothing short of impressive. He came in as one of the more experienced defenders of the squad while also currently playing in a European league with Grasshopper Zürich, even though he is only playing for their B team. That experience has proven to be absolutely crucial for Capellas’ possession-oriented style because he brought a high level of composure when controlling the ball inside of the team’s defensive third and while under pressure from the opposition. His ability to make overlapping runs also allowed him to work closely with teammates like Zico Bailey, Jarvey Gayoso, or Javier Mariona to progress the ball into the final third.
Defensively, he has an intuition to know when is the right time to make the jump and close the opposition down. This was key for the Philippines as they played with a high defensive line, and a wrong decision or timing could have led to the opposition exploiting space in behind. He also has the physicality and pace to make the opposition’s winger’s task of beating him a lot more difficult, which was why it is possible to notice that the Philippines tended to concede more chances down their right than down Kempter’s left-hand side. Aerial challenge was also another of his strength as he was able to deal with most long passes aiming to the space behind him or outjumping wingers who were usually slightly shorter than him.
Considering this is his first tournament since returning from an ACL and meniscus injury, he looks like he has been at his best at left-back for the Philippines. Obviously there has been a small level of cautiousness in his play to avoid getting another long-term injury, but Kempter has dominated that left-back position and huge credits to him for getting back very strong from a serious injury to play at what is considered as the peak period of football players. It will be interesting to see what he will do after this tournament, whether he will fight to get back into Zürich’s first team contention, or he will leave to find another club either in Europe or in Southeast Asia, especially since he still has a few years left in him.
Central centre-back: Phetdavanh Somsanith (Laos)
Probably one of the youngest members of my squad and the least well-known player in the squad, but Phetdavanh deserves a spot for what he and the rest of the Laos team have done throughout this tournament. They entered this tournament as one of the two ultimate underdogs and no one expected them to create any kind of troubles for the rest of the teams in group B. But yet, they did and they even got two points out of it. There were moments where they could have come away with their first three points, but the lack of experience and the difference in quality meant three points just slipped through their hands at the last moments.
Still, Phetdavanh was at the heart of a brave and courage Laos’ defence that have created a lot of frustrations for teams stronger than them. He was everywhere inside their defensive third, covering space in the central area, and was tasked with clearing crosses and long balls that might come into the box. He completed the task well, which for a centre-back who is only 20 years old and has 7 caps for the national team, that is not that bad. He has also saved them a couple of crucial goals as well, especially against Indonesia and Vietnam, by showing up at the right place to block a shot or clear the ball off the line.
It was hard to expect him to be a ball-playing centre-back considering Laos did not have a lot of the ball and wanted to play a possession-oriented style. As such, there was not many opportunities where he could show what he can do with the ball. On the very few occasions that he had, it was mainly just clearing the ball forward or play a long pass that would allow the team to start counter-attacking situations.
Laos was one of the teams that have taken me by surprise throughout the group stage. Even though they did not play a possession-oriented style, their counter-attacking style still worked and it looked decent at times. Meanwhile, their defence, led by Phetdavanh, played their heart out to keep Laos’ hopes alive. At 20 years old, I want to see him at a higher level within the region to see how much he can learn by playing with and against better oppositions in the region. He is not going to be the next wonderkid that comes out of Laos, far from that even, but expect to see him play a crucial part for his nation in the next few years.
Right centre-back: Muhammad Ferarri (Indonesia)
When Indonesia entered this year’s ASEAN Cup with the intention of giving their local talents a chance to showcase what they could do, many have thought they would struggle big time, especially without a lot of their foreign-based players. To an extent, they still are, but they are still in a position to fight for group B’s second place. A few of the youngsters have also stepped up as well, which includes central midfielder Arkhan Fikri (who I have looked at in day 2 of the tournament), attacking midfielder Victor Dethan, striker Hokky Caraka, or centre-back Kadek Arel. But no one has shined brighter than Muhammad Ferarri, who was given the responsibility to lead a very young team into the tournament.
He is nowhere near the level of Mees Hilgers, Jay Idzes, or Justin Hubner, of course because the former two are playing at two of the biggest leagues in Europe (Eredivisie and Serie A respectively), while the latter are currently with an English Premier League team. But Ferarri has been one of the best centre-backs of the tournament both on and off the ball. Even though he is only 21, he has shown to be a very mature defender by knowing when to engage in challenges and when to step back to help the defence. Wearing the captain armband also helped him in that regard because he has had to look after other players in front of him and had to marshal the defence to keep everyone disciplined and stay on track.
Whenever you watch him play, you can see his determination and a willingness to fight for the team and the shirt that he is wearing. Getting aggressive when needed, showing up at the right place and time, covering for his teammates. He has done almost everything as Indonesia’s right-sided centre-back. He was also decent on the ball as he worked together with the right wing-back and central midfielders to help with progressing the ball into the final third. While not the player who would make line-breaking passes or through balls that sent attackers into free space, his long passes still proved to be useful to help finding anyone making a run in behind the opposition’s backline. He could also carry the ball forward by himself, though not by a long distance at a single time.
Looking further into the future, it might be hard to see Ferarri as a starting centre-back for Indonesia since the options that they have (Hilgers, Idzes, Hubner, Elkan Baggott, and Rizky Ridho) are also still very young. But with the play that he is playing, and should Indonesia progress in the way that they are currently doing, Ferarri will become a valuable member of the squad and will only be more mature as time goes on. Will he leave Southeast Asia to go somewhere? Who knows because it is tough to say, but I think he has the potential to go beyond the region for sure.
Left central midfielder: Shah Shahiran (Singapore)
Filling in the boots of a legend like Shahdan Sulaiman is not an easy task by any means, even though Sulaiman is still playing in this tournament. But for Shah Shahiran, it seems like he is slowly making that #6 spot for Singapore his own. One of the unsung heros of a Singapore team who are surprising many in this tournament, along with Ryhan Stewart and Shahiran’s central midfielder counterpart Kyoga Nakamura, Shahiran has played such a crucial role in his team’s build-up phase through his positioning and vision to read the game.
Singapore are playing very good football this tournament, and everything starts at the back for them as they looks to play through the opposition’s press using short passes, combinations, up-back-throughs, and triangles. Shahiran contributed to this in previous matches by being one of the two midfielders who sat behind the opposition’s attackers, positioned himself in pockets of space where he could receive the ball from the centre-back, then flicked it on to either the nearest full-back or winger to bypass the press and progressed the ball into the opposition’s half for a quick attack. It can be easy to say that the system makes a player looks good, which might be true to some extent. But without his ability to play progressive passes and, most importantly, his technicality to escape pressures and challenges from the opposition, Shahiran would not thrive in the current system that Singapore are playing.
Defensively, he also did not shy away from getting stuck into challenges to help regaining the ball for Singapore. Physicality wise, he might not be standing out, but he worked hard to close down the opposition’s midfielders and attackers and looked to use his runs to guide the ball elsewhere other than through Singapore’s defensive block. Shahiran also used his ability to read the game to his strength, which allowed him to predict where passes would be and intercept them, creating a chance for Singapore to launch counter-attacks.
Only 25 years old, expect to see a lot more from Shahiran at the international stage. Having learned a lot from a legend like Sulaiman, Shahiran will be well-equipped to lead Singapore’s midfield into a new era where they will try to implement a style of football that is eye-catching and creates more opportunities to control the ball. His technicality will be useful for press-resisting and it can become a dangerous weapon if Singapore use it right. Shahiran might not get the attention that he deserves, but I am here to change that, because a midfielder like him is very crucial to a possession-oriented side like Singapore currently. So let’s not forget the contribution that he brought in Singapore’s first three matches of this year’s ASEAN Cup.
Right central midfielder: Nguyễn Quang Hải (Vietnam)
After all these years and Quang Hải is still the best Vietnamese player by miles. And no disrespect to players like central midfielder Nguyễn Hoàng Đức, striker Nguyễn Tiến Linh, or any of the Vietnamese centre-backs. But to be able to perform at the highest level matches after matches, and then now wearing the captain’s armband of one of the nations with the biggest football craze takes a huge level of determination and hard-work to carry Vietnam through tournaments after tournaments. And, once again, he is delivering for his nation at this year’s ASEAN Cup.
Transforming from a winger/attacking midfielder/traditional #10 to now playing as one of the deeper playmakers for Vietnam, I think it is fair to say that Quang Hải is a vital cog in Vietnam’s system. He has the passing ability to make passes that send players in behind the opposition’s backline, and he also possesses a high level of technical skills to be able to escape the pressure from the opposition’s defenders and midfielders. Playing in tight spaces might be one of the areas where he thrives in, where he would receive the ball from one of the centre-backs, makes a turn to face forward while also makes touches that send his marker the other way, and plays a pass to one of his teammates down either wings or through the middle.
When things did not work out for Vietnam, Quang Hải was able to take things on by himself and created chances for himself to score. Without him finding the breakthrough against Indonesia, Vietnam would have not been in the leading position in group B as they are in after three matches. He is also, unarguably, Vietnam’s best set piece taker as he also delivered dangerous corners to help teammates scored or just simply scored by himself through a direct free-kick.
It seems like the obvious choice when picking a Vietnamese player to be in the team, but Quang Hải justifies that with his performance throughout the tournament so far. And I am not being bias towards my home nation, but I just cannot see anyone else in the team who can perform at the level that he is at right now or stay as consistent as he is. Maybe that move to France helped him after all, even though he did not play a lot, but you can tell that there is something different about Quang Hải now compared to before his move to France.
Attacking midfielder: Sandro Reyes (Philippines)
One of the players that I have enjoyed watching in this tournament so far, if not the most enjoyable. Sandro Reyes is not a new name by any means because he has made a name for himself in the region’s U23 tournament about two years ago, and he is still currently only 21 years old. But along with Oskari Kekkonen, Zico Bailey, and Michael Baldisimo, Reyes is leading a young, talented group of Filipino midfielders trying to make a difference in the ASEAN Cup. And oh boy, he did!
He plays as one of the two #8s in Albert Capellas’ system, but his skillset can also suit him if he plays as a #10 for the Philippines, which is why I picked him to play as the attacking midfielder for the team. He is just mesmerizing to watch whenever he has the ball because he possesses a high level of technicality to play in tight spaces and escape the pressure from the opposition’s defenders. If he gets the ball from any of his teammates, expect him to create something good either for himself or his teammates. His passes put wingers like Javier Mariona or Alex Monis into spaces where they could take on the opposition’s full-backs, or sent the lone striker Bjørn Martin Kristensen through on goal on several occasions. I do not want to say he is the conductor in the Philippines’ current system, but he definitely looks like one with the way that he is currently playing.
Another thing that I like about Reyes is that he plays his heart out for the team and the shirt whenever he steps foot on the pitch. It is a case of ‘do not judge a book by its cover’ because he can come across as a soft player or shy away from challenges, but Reyes is far from that. He helps his team massively when they press the opposition or defend in a mid-block by being at the right place to intercept passes or make the right jump to prevent the centre-backs or midfielders from passing through their mid-block. He also engages with challenges, though not at a frequent level like other midfielders or defenders. Even though he does not wear the captain’s armband, you can see Reyes pointing left and right in a match, talking to his teammates about what they should be doing, or encouraging the crowds to raise their level of support. And this is coming from a 21-year-old, by the way.
If I am not currently doing a team of the group stage, I would write an article specifically about Reyes’ performance at the ASEAN Cup group stage so far because he has just been a joy to watch. Even though I am aware that he is playing in the Regionalliga in Germany, I feel as if he is playing at a higher level with what he has shown. But he is only 21 and still has a lot to come, so I will definitely be watching his career with interest and expect to see him leading a young Philippines team playing good football under Albert Capellas.
Left winger: Faris Ramli (Singapore)
Singapore are playing good football during this year’s ASEAN Cup and it is no small part down to the contribution of Faris Ramli and Shawal Anuar. We will discuss about Anuar in just a bit, so for now, let’s put the spotlight on Ramli’s performance as a left winger in Singapore’s 4-2-3-1 formation. And it is probably fair to say that he has been showing the best of him to shine very bright in group A.
Under Tsutomu Ogura, Singapore are playing a style of football that is eye-catching and fun to watch…I think I have said this already when I talked about Shah Shahiran earlier, but it is worth repeating because they (along with the Philippines) have surprised me the most. In possession, Ramli serves as one of the focal attacking points for Singapore, especially when they look to be attacking down the left on most occasions. With the help of left-backs Ryhan Stewart and Christopher van Huizen and their overlapping runs, Ramli tends to hug the line to wait for the ball and the overlap, which he then cuts inside onto his right foot and creates a chance out of it. He can also move slightly inside and occupy the left half-space, where he would look to attack the channel in front of him and get to the end of long passes being made by the centre-backs or the central midfielders.
His technical ability benefits him significantly when he has the ball and looks to take on the opposition’s full-backs. On many occasions throughout the tournament, Ramli has created chaos down Singapore’s left-hand side and made it tough for anyone trying to mark him. But he can also score goals by himself, which makes him even more dangerous to defend against, and he demonstrated that very well with his goal against Thailand on matchday 4, which you can find in day 7 of the diary. The goal showed everything that I have mentioned about Ramli, which includes his tendency to stay wide then cut inside when he received the ball, the ability to get past the Thai defenders, and his goal-scoring ability with a great curving shot from outside of the box.
One of the more experienced players in Singapore’s squad and Ramli is leading by example both on and off the ball. Along with Ramli’s on-ball ability that I have mentioned above, he also works hard for the team out of possession and contributes to the team’s press by making the right jump or closing the opposition’s full-back down to try and regain possession. It is not much, but it shows his willingness to fight for the team and work hard alongside his teammates for the same goal, which is winning matches.
It is possible that we might not be able to see Ramli performing at this high level anymore considering he is now 32 years old at the time of the tournament. But never say never, especially when a 36-year-old Shahdan Sulaiman is still a part of Singapore’s squad this year. For now, though, let’s just enjoy Ramli’s brilliance on the left wing for Singapore as they cruise to a second-placed finish in group A.
Right winger: Suphanat Mueanta (Thailand)
One of the most recognisable names in my team, mainly due to his inclusion in the annual Football Manager wonderkids list. His potential ability in Football Manager might be a bit overblown, but Suphanat Mueanta is definitely a good player and he is showing a bit of that potential by spearheading and leading Thailand’s attacking force at the ASEAN Cup along with players like winger Anan Yodsangwal, midfielder William Weidersjö, or striker Patrik Gustavsson (who we will discuss in a bit). In a team with not that many key players, Suphanat’s performance is one of the main reasons why Thailand are still considered one of the title favourites as they convincingly win matches after matches to secure an early spot in the semi-final.
After returning from a loan in Belgium with OH Leuven, Suphanat looks a lot more mature and he has stepped up to another level with his ability and skillset. His playing style is slightly similar to Ramli as he prefers to hug the line on the right-hand side where he can receive the ball and take on the opposition’s full-backs, which has worked very well for Thailand as Suphanat is superior in terms of technicality and he has made the task of marking him a lot tougher for other full-backs in group A. Because of this, he is one of Thailand’s main outlets to create chances and there is no doubt that he has delivered, with 4 assists to his name after 3 matches.
Similar to Quang Hải and Ramli, a technically-gifted player like Suphanat would obviously has the ability to also create chances for himself. This is probably where his time in Belgium has helped him since he seems to be a lot more composed when presented with a goal-scoring chance. Even from a tough angle, Suphanat would take his time to find a gap where he can take a shot that would give him the best chance to score.
Taking on the leading role in attack for Thailand is not an easy task, especially when a lot of their key players were unavailable when the squad was announced. But Suphanat has returned a different player from his loan spell in Europe, which can only be a good thing not only for Thailand, but also for his career. He definitely has the potential to be a star player for his nation in the next few years as he will only get better and better as time goes on.
Left striker: Patrik Gustavsson (Thailand)
One of the players who benefits the most from Suphanat’s chance creating ability is Thailand’s striker Patrik Gustavsson. The duo has been one of the tournament’s most prolific duos as they fire Thailand to the top of group A and lock in an early semi-final spot. Also just returned from a loan spell in Japan’s J3 League, Gustavsson is taking on the responsibility of leading the line for Thailand in his first major tournament and he is giving Masatada Ishii some thoughts about who should be Thailand’s main striker.
It is very hard to find a striker profile like Gustavsson in Southeast Asia because the Swedish-born player is more than just a poacher who sits on the shoulder of defenders and makes runs in behind the opposition’s backline whenever a long pass is played towards him. He has the physicality to hold up the ball to allow players like Anan or Suphanat to run in behind instead, which creates a different defensive dynamic for the opposition because the centre-backs now have to focus on Gustavsson instead of marking the wingers. Because of that, he can also contribute to the team’s play by dropping in between the lines to receive passes from midfield and release other teammates who make runs into the channels and in behind the opposition’s backline.
But it is also worth reminding that Gustavsson is also good at scoring goals, and not just being able to contribute to the team’s play. His physicality proves to be crucial for Thailand because he is a dangerous threat inside of the penalty box and can outjump most Southeast Asian centre-backs to be at the end of crosses that come from wingers like Anan, Suphanat, or full-backs like Nicholas Mickelson or James Beresford from out wide. His movements inside the box has also caused problems for centre-backs who tried to mark him as he was able to bait the opposition’s defenders to drop deeper or move forward, creating unmarked space for Gustavsson to position himself in, receive the ball, and score a relatively easy goal.
Still very young and has just made the step up to professional football since leaving Sweden for Thailand, Gustavsson still has a lot of time to learn and improve his ability. But so far, he looks like he will bring something different to not only Thailand, but also to the rest of the region with his playing style and the ability to contribute to the team’s play. Gustavsson will also lead a very young and talented Thailand team in the next few years, which he will have more opportunities to prove himself and potentially create something historic for Thailand.
Right striker: Shawal Anuar (Singapore)
The second prolific duo of the tournament in Ramli and Shawal Anuar, they have also fired Singapore into contention for a semi-final spot and have surprised many fans within the region. The difference between these two and Thailand’s Suphanat-Gustavsson is that Ramli and Anuar have been playing with each other in Singapore’s shirt for a long time now, and this is not the first major tournament for both of them. But in this new system that Tsutomu Ogura is implementing, they are currently thriving and have lifted themselves to a new level.
Playing as a poacher in Ogura’s 4-2-3-1 formation, Anuar is the exact opposite to Gustavsson in the sense that the Singaporean striker fits the role of a poacher. He possesses good pace to make runs in behind the opposition’s backline while also has a good sense of positioning to be on the shoulder of defenders and escape their attention for a quick second. This was perfectly demonstrated when he scored Singapore’s opening goal against Thailand, which came from a quick goalkick by Izwan Mahbud and allowed Anuar to run in between two Thai defenders, received the ball to bring it down, and scored from a good long shot from outside of the box.
He also leads Singapore whenever they tries to press the opposition even from inside their own half. Again, he has the pace to be able to close the opposition’s defenders or goalkeeper down quickly and not give them enough time or space to make a proper pass. He has also shown this in this year’s tournament with his goal against Cambodia, where he used his pace to press Cambodia’s keeper Vireak Dara and did not allow him time to play a pass out, and Anuar quickly made the tackle to steal the ball and score. Granted, both situations looked a bit suspicious, but it was two situations presented to Anuar instead of him having to do with anything suspicious.
Just like Ramli, Anuar might not have that many years left at the top of his game now that he is 33 years old. While we can enjoy him thriving at this year’s ASEAN Cup and firing his nation closer to the semi-final, it is also a good reminder for Singapore that they will need to find someone who can inherit what both Ramli and Anuar have done and lead Singapore in the next few years. In order to be competitive at the next Asian Cup and subsequent qualifiers, this should be one of their top priorities if they do not want to rely on Ramli and Anuar into their mid-30s.
And that is my ASEAN Cup team of the group stage! As mentioned at the beginning, this is just 11 players that I think have been very good throughout the tournament, and there will be players who miss out on the team because they do not fit the formation that I choose or players in the team have been better than them. I have tried to include as many honourable mentions into this article as possible, but again, there have been a few who also missed out as well, like a few players from Cambodia (winger Kim Sokyuth or full-back Nick Taylor), Laos, or Malaysia (strikers Paulo Josué, Fergus Tierney, or midfielder Stuart Wilkin).
The tournament’s coverage will not end here though as the final matchday of the group stage will start very soon and we will find out the remaining three teams who will qualify for the semi-final. From there, there will be another six matches to be played and I will try my best to cover all of them. But for now, see you very soon for the last matchday of the group stage!