Thailand team is still scary

CLEAR ORIENTATION

For a long time, the Thai national team has clearly shown its goal of swimming out to the ocean. This can be seen through the fact that they always want to appoint a high-class coach like Akira Nishino, who led the Japanese team to the round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup. When this strategist failed in the 2018 AFF Cup and the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) fired him.

During the screening process for new candidates, FAT appointed coach Alexandre Polking to the hot seat. In fact, Mr. Polking did a pretty good job in helping the Thai team return to the Southeast Asian throne, playing quite sharply in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. However, according to FAT's assessment, coach Polking was not good enough to help the Thai team get closer to the World Cup. Therefore, FAT only signed a "drop by drop" contract with this coach and immediately appointed a more suitable new person, Mr. Masatada Ishii.

Coach Ishii won Madam Pang's trust and signed a contract with FAT until 2026

FAT has learned a lot from the past to make this decision. Coach Nishino is classy but not suitable for Thai football, and does not understand this football, so he failed. Meanwhile, Coach Polking is only a temporary solution because he has not approached the top football environments. Coach Ishii is a harmonious combination of class and understanding. In 2016, he and the club won the 2016 J-League championship, won the FIFA Club World Cup runner-up and won the title of best coach in Japan. Coming to Thailand, he helped Buriram United win a total of 6 major titles. Thanks to that, Coach Ishii is helping the Thai team go in the right direction even though he could not bring the "War Elephants" to reach the ticket to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

RIGHT PERSON, RATIONAL

Under coach Ishii, the Thai team has had impressive performances. At the 2023 Asian Cup, they reached the round of 16, playing extremely well against strong opponents such as Uzbekistan (losing 1-2), Oman (drawing), Saudi Arabia (drawing). They also once forced the Korean team to share points in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

At this time, many pillars of the Thai team such as Teerasil Dangda, Thitipan Puangchan, Sarach Yooyen... gradually declined in form. However, coach Ishii still called up veterans and created a harmonious combination between the two generations. From there, the Thai team had a successor. Currently, this strategist continues to give opportunities to many young players born in 2001 or 2023 such as Anan, Channarong, Kakana, Teerasak... Coach Ishii also improved the strength of the Thai team by trusting Thai players such as Elias Dolah, Patrik Gustavsson, William Weidersjo (Swedish origin), Jonathan Khemdee (Danish origin). These were players who were rarely used in the previous stage but are gradually asserting themselves. In the friendly match against the Vietnamese team in September, these 4 players started and played impressively. In which, Gustavsson scored the winning goal 2-1.

The Thai team is on the right track. They have shown their identity in their playing style, taking steady steps with a clear roadmap. FAT President, billionaire Madam Pang, is very confident in the ability of the Thai team to successfully defend the Southeast Asian championship, despite the fact that the Indonesian team is getting stronger.

THAI LAN CHAMPIONS KING 'S C UP

The progress of the Thai team was shown after the 2-1 victory over the Syrian team in the final match of the King's Cup 2024, which took place on the evening of October 14. The "War Elephants" are still very formidable with veterans in the squad and new factors such as Anan and Channarong somewhat leaving their mark.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-thai-lan-van-dang-so-185241014210208429.htm