Why Thailand?
Having spent many years coaching various youth teams in Japan, including in the academies of famous J-League clubs like Gamba Osaka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a move to a Thailand seems like a move far out of left field.
“I have been working in Japanese football for more than 20 years,” Coach Murayama revealed. “My first exposure to Thai football was working with Teerasil in the J-League. From there, I started [watching] and seeing how the Thai League teams were playing, and that got me interested.”
Cutting the figure of a man simply tired of the pace of life in his homeland, his ambitions are big for what he can achieve on these foreign shores.
“I thought, it would be hard to make any changes [and make an impact] in Japan. But, if I were to take up a job in Thailand, I feel as though I could implement more changes in Thai football,” Murayama explained.
What are the differences between the Thai League and the J-League?
With more Thai League players now interested in moving to the J.League, the gap in quality between the two divisions has become a hot topic of interest for fans.
“Firstly, there is a difference in quality, as the J-League has better, more professionalized players” Murayama admits. “Also, there is more organization in the J-League, as the players are more tactically aware, maybe one or two steps ahead of the Thai players.”
On these two fronts, lifestyle choices and tactical understanding, we prodded further to understand the nature of these differences.
To discuss lifestyle, Murayama recalls his experience working with Teerasil Dangda, explaining that “when he moved to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The Japanese players would normally arrive an hour before training was scheduled to do their own stretching and pre warm-up routine. So, when the session starts at 4pm, everyone is ready to start from the get-go. But Teerasil was surprised – why is everyone here so early? It was a new thing to him.”
In terms of tactics, Murayama mentions that “in the J-League, you can see a clear pattern in defense and attack. But, in Thai football, the same pattern and structure only lasts for on average 60 minutes. After that, things go into chaos!”
“Thai players can’t maintain full intensity for 90 minutes because they weren’t educated to play within a system,” the Japanese coach adds. “Speaking from experience, players under the age of 12 should be given the freedom to play and express their playing style. But once they hit 13, that’s when you put them together as a group and teach them the overall structure of the game. This stepping stone allows for their development into a fully professional player.”
“Speaking about Thai players, there is not much difference between them and the J-League players in terms of individual talent. It’s only about how we adapt those good individual abilities into a team structure. If we can fit those individuals well into a team, Thai players could grow and eventually play in the J-League.”