The former England, Lazio, Manchester City, Roma and Benfica manager took the reins of the Philippines last month.
Under Eriksson, the Azkals are undefeated in the ASEAN Football Federation’s 2018 Suzuki Cup with two victories and two draws.
And Sydneysider Ramsay, who has earned 27 caps for the Philippines since his debut in 2015, believes the famous Swede can help them make an impact in the United Arab Emirates in January.
The Philippines, ranked 116th in the world, have been placed in Group C and will face Korea Republic, China and Kyrgyzstan in their first-ever Asian Cup.
“It’s one of the biggest competitions in Asia so its every exciting to be involved in it,” Ramsay told The World Game.
“It wasn’t easy to qualify but we managed to get there and we’re trying to prepare as much as we can. People like Sven coming in shows how serious we are.
“We’re trying to improve and get confidence into the team ahead of such a big competition. Who knows? In football anything can happen.
“With big teams sometimes pressure’s a funny thing - it can get to them. Anything can happen I guess. We’re going into the tournament with that mentality. I can’t wait.”
Eriksson was hired last month after Terry Butcher quit the post in August. The 70-year-old has won titles and cups in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, and took out the UEFA Cup with IFK Goteborg in 1982.
Ramsay, who had spells in the A-League with Sydney FC, Adelaide United and Melbourne City, admits the ex-England boss’ appointment came as somewhat of a shock.
“It came as a bit of a surprise, that’s for sure, because he’s such a big name in the football world,” the 30-year-old said.
“It’s a statement I guess with where the national team want to go. They want to try and get as much quality as possible to better us in the near future.
“Someone with his coaching calibre will help us in the Asian Cup. Obviously Sven’s got a lot of experience.
“He hasn’t worked with us for a long time, he’s obviously new to the team, but he’s trying to implement his style into the squad. We’re trying to take everything on board as quick as we can.
“We’ve only had four games under him, so we need a few more yet to get things going. But so far the response from the squad has been good.
“Hopefully we continue to improve and hopefully the Suzuki Cup will keep us in good stead for the Asian Cup. We’ve got him and Scott Cooper as well. Scott’s been with us for the last couple of camps.
“Prior to that Terry Butcher was given the job. I’m not too sure what happened there but he left very quickly for personal reasons or whatnot. Not long after Sven came in, so not a bad replacement.”
The Philippines are in the middle of their Suzuki Cup campaign and have qualified for the semi-finals, after finishing second in their group behind Thailand. The Azkals will meet Vietnam on Sunday with a place in the final up for grabs.
“If we get to the final it will take us to December 15,” Ramsay said.
“Then a few weeks break and we go to the Asian Cup. It’s going alright. It’s a short turnaround between games, there’s a lot of flights with this Suzuki Cup.”
Ramsay has established himself as a regular with the country of his mother’s birth.
He has played in Iran, the Philippines and Malaysia since he left the A-League three years ago, and next year will link up with Thai League 1 club Sukhothai on a one-year contract.
It has been a well-travelled career for the midfielder, which included a stint in Scotland with Gretna as a teenager, and a spell in the NSW NPL with Sydney Olympic.
“It’s been good so far,” Ramsay said.
“It doesn’t last forever. You’ve got to make the most of it and just enjoy the experience.
“I joined the Philippines in 2015 when I left the A-League to go to Iran. I haven’t looked back since.
“It’s been enjoyable and qualifying for a competition like the Asian Cup makes it that bit sweeter. Hopefully we do well in it.”
