Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Judgement Day For Thailand
It's been a disappointing campaign thus far for Thailand in the ASEAN Football Federation Cup. The familiar old failing of not scoring has come back to haunt them big time and they go into their final group game against hosts Indonesia facing an unlikely elimination that could see the whole 'mai pen rai' culture erased from Thai media and message boards for the next few weeks at least.
Simply put, and it needs to be 'cos I'm crap at maths, they have to beat Indonesia in their final game tonight at the Bung Karno Stadium or face a humiliating exit.
1 - Indonesia 2 2 0 0 11-1 6
2 - Thailand 2 0 2 0 2-2 2
3 - Malaysia 2 0 1 1 1-5 1
4 - Lao 2 0 1 1 2-8 1
As it stands even Lao have a chance of reaching the semi finals if they beat Malaysia at the Jakabaring Stadium in Palembang but all eyes will be on the Bung Karno and Thailand's task.
Indonesian coach Alfred Riedl is likely to make changes with Persib's inspirational skipper Eka Ramdani making an appearance as could strikers Yongki Aribowo and Bambang Pamungkas but the absence of the likes of Irfan Bachdim, Oktavianus and M Ridwan won't have the Thai coach Bryan Robson breathing any easier. For once Indonesia seem to have a real squad feel about them but will it be enough to defeat the Thais?
For the last few years the Indonesian weakness, apart from no creativity in midfield, no potent force up front, no defensive discipline, no teamwork, has been a statue like presence at set pieces and the Thais took full advantage of this the last time the two teams met in the AFF Cup back in 2008 when Teerasil Dangda rose unmarked to net the only goal of the game.
Thailand looked ring rusty against Lao in their opening game, lucky perhaps to snatch a point in injury time but also having a goal disallowed. They looked better against Malaysia, more of an attacking force, but Malaysia just sat back and for much of the game the Thais were limited to shots from distance.
Having Sarayoot down the middle seems to have changed the way the Thais play. Last year I saw them sweep Singapore aside in the National Stadium during the Asian Cup qualifiers with a breathless display of fluid, mobile attacking football. The strikers would drop deep or go wide and the midfield would surge into the spaces created. Singapore struggled to handle the movement, especially off the ball, and succumbed 3-1.
Sarayoot in many ways is more of an old school centre forward. He stays in the middle, ploughs a furrow down the middle and in a restaurant with three seats on either side of the table he eats in the middle seat. And he scores goal.
The Thais will have a couple of advantages. Indonesia will attack. It's all they know and from the first whistle they will try and keep the ball deep in the Thai half, hoping to get wide and spread the defence.
That will leave them vulnerable to the counter attack and that is where the Thais excel, moving the ball quickly to feet they will rely on the likes of Suchao, Teerathep, Sutee to work the ball down the other end of the field catching the Indonesians exposed.
The other factor is that Indonesia have already qualified as group champions. Traditionally they don't do the mental side of things to well and it remains to be seen whether or not Austrian coach Alfred Riedl has installed any Teutonic stubbornness in his time with the team. Will they be as up for it as they have in the opening two games?
There are still three teams vying for that remaining place in the semi finals but what hapens in the other game tonight in Palembang will be irrelevant if the Thais finally click.
# posted by Me @ 5:54 AM 
