Southeast Asia Thailand

5 Things We Learned – Thailand 3-0 Singapore

By: , November 27, 2018 7:39 pm
Credit – @ThailandNTOFFICIAL

Thailand finished their group stage campaign in style, with the 3-0 victory over Singapore yielding a final record of 15 goals scored and 3 goals conceded over the course of four games. The War Elephants march on, and prepare to face Malaysia in the semi-finals. Football Tribe Thailand’s Obb Deewajin tells us the five learning points Thailand should take with them into the next round.

Final Score: Thailand 3-0 Singapore

Football Tribe Man Of The Match: Sanrawat Dechmitr

The Bench Can Make a Difference

Apart from Manuel Bihr, who was forced to withdraw from the competition due to injury, we rarely saw Rajevac making any changes to the back four. However, Mika Chunuonsee was chosen to start at right-back and provided a solid performance against Singapore. Surprisingly this was just the 29-year-old's third official cap for Thailand, and it wasn't a change many experts anticipated. If this means anything, it is proof of the depth in quality within this squad and how much the players are buying into Milovan Rajevacs' philosophy. Pokklaw Anan, Philip Roller and Pakorn Prempak also featured from the bench, the latter playing a wonderful curling pass with his first touch on the game which almost resulted in a fourth goal for Thailand. Milovan Rajevac is someone who prefers continuity, but he is never afraid of changes also. And with this group of players, he can be sure that no matter who is selected, they can pretty much execute his game plan perfectly and get the job done.

Rajevac taught Thailand How to Kill off Games

As a nation, Thailand adores attacking football and praise technically gifted players above all else. So it is no wonder that the ability to hold the lead and kill a game off is not one of Thailand's strongest characteristics. Take, for example, the 2007 final, where Thailand lost the 1st leg away 2-1 by giving away a weak penalty in the 83rd minute. Four days later Thailand made the same mistake again, this time it was Khairul Amri who equalized in the 81st minute to win Singapore their 3rd title. Fortunately, there has been a massive improvement in game management under Rajevac's reign. After going 2-0 ahead at half time, he didn't take any chances and quickly subbed off the impressive Nurul Sriyankem for an extra midfield. Thailand entire 2nd half was a lesson in effective game management.

Singapore's Young and Fearless Squad Have Potential

This Singapore team is the complete opposite of the side they fielded last time they visit Bangkok in 2012, in a 2nd leg in which they lost 0-1 on the night but managed to lift the title on aggregate. Gone are the days of Radojko Avramović's direct football based on the physicality of players such as Aleksandar Đurić or Fahrudin Mustafić. Last night, Fandi Ahmad's boys approached their pivotal match with bravery, playing on the front foot, pressing hard with a high line of defence. And even though they suffered a heavy defeat, there were glimpses of brilliance which prove this is the way forward for Singaporean football, and that they no longer have to rely on nationalized players. Ikhsan Fandi was a threat up front, Hariss Harun worked hard as always while Gabriel Quak and Faris Ramli also showed some nice touches. These players will mostly still in the national team roster for the next 3-4 years and therefore, whoever the next manager is, he should build onwards from Fandi Ahmad's achievement instead of starting all over square one.

Adisak is Relying Solely on his Finishing

Adisak Kraisorn extended his goal tally to 8 with a fine finish passed Army United's Hassan Sunny. He may have played the full 90 minutes and got himself another goal, but the Muangthong United striker hasn't been his best since the match aganst the Philippines. It's an incredible achievement for someone who barely played any football all season to come into the national team and start firing instantly, but it seems the lengthy injury is beginning to unveil its effect on Adisak. The forward is expected to do more than just scoring goals, such as hold-up play, linking attacks and more. Adisak looks fatigued, and it is only his finishing ability that still kept him in the side. With his fitness in doubt, Thai fans will be praying Adisak can make a full recovery recovery for the first leg semi-final match away at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Thailand's Keeper Situation Remains Unanswered

Chatchai Budprom kept his place between the sticks for Thailand and a clean sheet last night, which definitely gave him a massive amount of confidence. The 31 years old was eager to come for crosses and was effective with his distributions, launching a few counter-attacking moves in the second half. Still, Chatchai almost made a fool of himself when he misjudged a back pass from Sanrawat Dechmitr. He also fancies to punch or palm the ball away rather than catching it - a slight sign of nerves. Chatchai will likely retain his place against Malaysia but whether the goalkeeper position is dependable or not remains to be seen.