27/09/2022
Short King’s Cup friendly tournament summary: 1 draw, 1 win, + 5.30 points in the FIFA ranking, 3 more players debuted in the main NT. These are the most visible conclusions, but of course there are others, most of it related to the improvement of our game model. We may have bad results or performances, but our idea and our pattern of play are clear.
But let’s go back to the heavily discussed game against Malaysia.
If the reaction of some fans was somehow normal and happens anywhere in the world - I am from a country where football is basically a way of life -, the reaction of some Thai football stakeholders was not only surprising but totally unreasonable.
Facts first - because stats don’t lie:
They had more chances. No
They had better chances. No
They had more possession. No
They had more shots. No
They had a better pressing. No
They ran more (high speed and sprints). No
They won more duels. Also no
Stats don’t lie. We took the game as part of our development, but of course to win. We knew well the opponent, had a clear match plan and actually started as expected, but overall the 1st half performance wasn’t good - let’s not ignore the emotional impact of losing Jay before 15’. The 2nd half should have been, however, more than enough to get the result we all wanted - even if the playing time was only less than 22'.
Then, the game against Trinidad and Tobago, a team with many players in USA and Europe, higher ranked than us. Staying true to our ideas, we dominated once again all the parameters and got a deserved win.
Finally, it’s an honour to work for Thai NT and Thai football is lucky to have a generation of talented players who are great professionals and always give their 100% for the country, with leaders (Jay, Aum, Mui…) who lead by example. They love to play for Thailand.
And, since this month marks our 1st year in charge, it’s a proper time for a quick balance:
17 games
12 wins
3 draws
2 losses
31 goals scored
9 goals conceded
1 AFF Cup
1 Asian Cup qualification
14 players debuted (among which are Kritsada, Weerathep, Chaowat, Channarong, Chatmongkol, Worachit or Teerasak)
We will keep reflecting, analysing our mistakes and doing our best to improve the NT. Hopefully everyone will do the same.
And for the ones telling us to don’t use social media and to save the time to work, I can just tell them that maybe there will be those who work as hard and dedicate themselves as we do; but there will never be anyone who does it more than us. In my country we say that “who doesn’t feel is not son of good people”; but, in this case, I prefer a different quote: “don’t play dead with a vulture, that’s exactly what they want.”