Schrock, Ott eyeing Suzuki Cup glory with the Philippines

SINGAPORE — Stephan Schrock and Manuel Ott were on the losing end on Wednesday night as Filipino club side Ceres La Salle crashed out of the Singapore Cup semi-finals 3-5 on aggregate, after a closely fought battle with S.League side Tampines Rovers in the second leg that ended 3-2 in favour of the Stags.

However, the midfield duo, who also represent the Philippines at international level, believe that they and their countrymen have nothing to fear come November during the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.

The Azkals, who are co-hosting the 11th edition of the biennial football tournament with Myanmar, are in a tough-looking Group A alongside defending champions Thailand, four-time winners Singapore, and Indonesia. But Schrock insists he is not spending his time mulling over the teams in the group, but is focused instead on his country’s performances.

“Personally, I don’t see anyone in the group as a threat,” the 30-year-old, who is hoping to make his debut at the Suzuki Cup, told TODAY. “We are strong enough to beat anyone in the group, and right now, I am totally focused on us winning our matches and not what our opponents do.

“We have no reason to be afraid or scared of anyone.”

Ott, 24, who played in the 2014 Suzuki Cup, shared similar sentiments.

“Of course it’s a tough group, but let’s not forget we have a good squad that has improved tremendously over the last few years,” he said. “We have been preparing well and are confident we can get good results at the Suzuki Cup.”

In fact, Ott believes that he and his Ceres team-mates, a number of whom are expected to feature for the Philippines at the Suzuki Cup, will be better prepared for their opening group match against Singapore after their duels with Tampines in the AFC Cup and Singapore Cup.

Ceres came away unscathed from their battles with Tampines in the AFC Cup, drawing 1-1 in Singapore and winning 2-1 in Bacolod.

“It was a good challenge for us to play against a Tampines side who have very talented players in the Singapore national team, as well as good foreigners,” said the Munich-born player.

“We avoided defeat against them in both AFC Cup games and gave them a stern test in the Singapore Cup.”

“It’s pleasing to see that we are on a similar level as the best team in Singapore. Even when we played the Young Lions and won 3-1, they gave us a tough match, too. That is a testament to the level of S.League,” he added.

At the last three editions of the Suzuki Cup, the Philippines crashed out at the semi-final stage, and Ott and Schrock are determined to ensure they go all out and win the trophy this time.

“Reaching the semi-finals in the last three Suzuki Cups was a good step for us, but now we simply have to go out there and deliver a bigger statement of intent,” said Ott.

And if the Philippines are to harbour any hopes of winning, they will be counting on their star man Schrock, who once played in the German Bundesliga for 1899 Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt.

“For me, this competition is very important,” said the German-born Schrock. “I believe this team is the golden generation of Philippines football.

“If we don’t win anything in this generation, we might not see it happen for the next 10 to 15 years.”