TAGUIG—Stallion
star Simone Rota will undergo surgery on his injured ACL, putting him on the
sidelines for the national football team’s Suzuki Cup campaign.
And with the
Azkals hosting the group stage in November, Rota expressed his disappointment
of being out for the said tournament.
“Honestly, I
cried a lot, because this is the first time the tournament will come here in
[the] Philippines. It’s hard [that I won’t] be there in the Suzuki Cup. I’m not
young anymore,” the 32-year-old midfielder told a group of media people on
Wednesday night at Club Haze during the anniversary celebration of appliance
brand TCL, where Rota was named among its newest endorsers.
But even if he
will be out for the next seven months, Rota believes the Azkals can still
dominate Southeast Asia’s premier football tournament as their road to making
the AFC Asian Cup continues.
“Of course they
will do fine—100 percent. [They] just need good friendly games and [better
preparation] for the Suzuki Cup. We still have time, so no reason for
complaining. This is a strong team. They can work from their mistakes,” he
added.
The Azkals’
Suzuki Cup build-up suffered huge stumbling blocks over the weekend after
bowing to Bahrain and North Korea in friendlies by identical 1-3 final
scorelines.
But for the
veteran, there is no reason to blame Coach Tom Dooley’s wards for the poor
performance considering the time they have been together.
“It’s the first
time they played together, so we need to give time for the young players to
adjust themselves,” continued Rota.
He also believes
the younger national team core is a key for the squad to finally get past the
semifinals and even win the title.
“We don’t have
to panic about that, because we have young players, and we have time. It’s not
about the age, because you can have a 19-year-old guy yet can be more mature in
play. I believe that we will be good for the tournament,” Rota concluded.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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