WITH extensive coaching experience in Spain, Israel, Denmark, Netherlands and China, among others, Spanish tactician Albert Capellas has been tapped as the new coach of the national men’s football team, the Philippine Football Federation announced last Wednesday.
“The priority in our selection process was to find someone who not only shared our philosophy for the National Teams but also has the capability to transmit that vision to our players quickly. In Albert Capellas, we’ve found an incredibly good fit,” PFF director for national teams and PH team manager Freddy Gonzale said in a statement.
“Capellas embodies our idea of how the game should be played, and who’s had decades of experience successfully implementing this style in various elite performance environments across Europe and in Asia,” Gonzalez added.
Capellas, 56, brings 33 years of coaching experience as the new man calling the shots for the nationals as the successor of Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, who cut short his contract with the PFF to return to Africa and handle the Malawi national team.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this journey. For me, it’s a fantastic feeling to be here, to help the Federation to go to the next level because that’s what they are looking for,” said Capellas, who began his career as assistant for the Spanish powerhouse Barcelona FC B side.
“When Freddy asked me to join this project, he explained to me what they are working on to make the federation (and team) better, deliver the best for the players and how he wanted to approach football for the coming years,” he added.
“I was aligned and it piqued my attention. We clicked personally (with Gonzalez), which is very important for me – that you can be around people that you can work with and you can do your job. That’s why I’m here,” Capellas said.
“I think the aspects we want to develop, we can make them happen. It won’t be easy – nothing in football is – but we can promise that we will do our best. I hope they (the fans) will enjoy the way we want to play, and the way we want to perform.”
Gonzalez said that Capellas, who holds a UEFA pro license, was in Malaysia in an unofficial capacity to observe how the Filipino booters performed in the Merdeka Cup.
“Albert came to observe during the Merdeka Cup, and while he wasn’t officially on board yet at the time, he was eager to already start providing his support to interim coach Norman Fegidero before the Tajikistan game,” the national team manager said.
“In those few days, Albert showed an impressive attention to detail, and an ability to communicate his ideas very clearly. He wanted to make sure that before the King’s Cup, the team would already have a foundation to build on,” he said.
“If you saw that Tajikistan game, it’s safe to say our players are fully embracing the direction we’re heading.”
Capellas is tasked to steer the PH footballers in the 2027 Asian Cup and will buckle down to work with international friendlies in October, among them the King’s Cup from Oct. 7 to 15 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Also looming over the horizon for the Nationals is the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the regional men’s football championship, set in December.
