By now, each soccer fan within the Philippines ought to have a favourite Alen Stajcic second.
For some, it might be the immortal image of Alen Stajcic stoically trying on whereas the remainder of the staff wildly celebrated the nation’s first ever FIFA World Cup purpose, in opposition to New Zealand.
For many, it is likely to be the picture of him hugging his fellow teaching employees as the ultimate whistle blew within the title-clinching match of the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship held in Manila.
For me, it’s the picture of him classily consoling the Chinese Taipei gamers after the Philippines clinched a berth within the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It summed up Stajcic in a nutshell – masterminding yet one more triumph, however on the identical time displaying his human facet.
Love this pic. On the opposite facet of the coin, despair from the Chinese Taipei facet. Here are PH Coach Alen Stajcic and assistant coach providing their commiserations. @PilipinasWNFT pic.twitter.com/H4ANg2Eaq2
— Ryan Fenix ???????? (@RyanFenix) January 31, 2022
I’m admittedly late to the Alen Stajcic Fan Club, studying of his exploits solely after he joined the Filipinas in late 2021. I nonetheless keep in mind my very first ideas, which turned out to be very prophetic: how lucky can the Philippines be to have this skilled man as our coach?
My first probability to fulfill him in individual was within the 2022 SEA Games in Cam Pha, Vietnam the place, in typical Stajcic vogue, he wasn’t too impressed with the staff’s efficiency even after a 5-0 demolition of Cambodia within the group levels.
I’ve spent some extra time with him since, taking in his ideas from Manila to Cebu to Auckland, and every time I’ve at all times come away amazed at how grounded he’s regardless of his success and repute.
That he’ll go down as some of the revered soccer coaches ever to educate the Philippines is unquestioned, and it’s not simply right down to his successes nor his tactical acumen, but in addition of his demeanor off the sector.
He is a mannequin of professionalism, at all times refusing to be drawn into any public controversy together with his solutions to media.
But he’s beneficiant together with his solutions to the press, with a sprinkling of his model of humor that maybe the general public doesn’t at all times see.
As for his tactical acumen, particularly his in-tournament participant administration? Suffice to say, that the hashtag #InStajWeBelief didn’t come with out benefit.
It is a superb testomony to the belief that he has instilled in his gamers, and even in most of the people, that the majority of his choices went unquestioned, even amongst essentially the most die-hard trolls on social media, who even clamored for him to educate the lads’s nationwide staff at one level.
That his gamers additionally purchased wholly into his system and administration speaks volumes of their religion in him and his management.
The gamers respect him, as evidenced by the reverence they provide within the interviews when requested about Stajcic.
“He is one of the great assets of this team and we have come a long way because of him,” Filipinas talisman and the nation’s first ever goal-scorer on the World Cup degree Sarina Bolden instructed fifa.com.
Veteran Quinley Quezada additionally instructed fifa.com, “His coaching has changed us so much in every way possible. He’s the best coach I’ve ever had.”
“He’s brought on so much organization and professionalism, everything that we need to become a top national team.”
One can then solely marvel at how a lot of an impact he may have had on the children attempting out for the Philippine youth groups in Cebu and Davao early this 12 months, and particularly those that had been beneath his wing within the U17s match.
So, after steering the Philippines to extraordinary highs and making historical past in every flip, Stajcic now bids the Filipinas farewell.
Perhaps he’ll really feel that he’s taken the Philippines so far as he can, maybe he feels a brand new problem is critical at this time limit, or maybe after years of being a soccer husband, he’ll really feel the must be nearer to his household in Australia.
He undoubtedly leaves the Philippines ladies’s staff in a greater place than when he first got here, finally hallmarks of a really profitable stint certainly.
He has actually laid the foundations of the staff with the event of younger gamers similar to Bella Pasion and Kaiya Jota amongst many others, and along with Coaches Nahuel Arrarte and Stevan Antonic, have revolutionized methods to coach a Philippines nationwide staff and setting a really excessive bar certainly, together with his successor having very large footwear to fill.
So, thanks Coach, farewell and good luck within the A-league.
We’ll miss you and your witticisms, your stoic expression and your very direct to the purpose solutions.
But I daresay you too will miss the Philippines — our candy dried mangoes in addition to the various Filipino followers frequently asking you for a selfie or two.
Don’t fret, there’ll nonetheless be Filipinos in Perth asking for an image, I assure it.
#InStajWeBelief nonetheless, however maybe now’s as finest a time to development one other hashtag.
#ThankYouStaj
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
