Five Things Thailand Learned From Their Defeat to Malaysia

Theerathon’s importance exemplified in his absence

Head coach Akira Nishino made three changes to his back four, but a lot of talk heading into the game is who will fill in for the suspended Theerathon Bunmathan - to which the Japanese tactician went with Korrakot Wiriyaudomsiri, leaving out the highly rated Sasalak Haiprakhon. 

Although Korrakot had somewhat of an average season, the Buriram United left-back is, by all means, still a solid selection with good experience in big matches. Even so, stylistically, Korrakot is a more conventional fullback who enjoys making overlapping runs, hugging the flank and putting in crosses. Theerathon, on the other hand, can carry out the same tactical duty but, most importantly, he can also operate as an inverted fullback - a player who starts off in the fullback position then later drifts infield to be involved with link-up plays, opening up more passing angles for himself from central areas. 

This is a role Theerathon performed to perfection with Yokohama F. Marinos and the national team. Theerathon’s vision and ability to dictate play from deep is a crucial element in Thailand’s game plan under Nishino. So much so that Bert van Marwijk singled out Theerathon as the Changsuek’s best player after UAE’s defeat in Bangkok.

Unfortunately, without Theerathon, the Thai backline was easily harried by the Malaysian players. This disrupted Thailand’s passing game and, as a result, isolated the likes of Chanathip Songkrasin and Supachok Sarachat out of the game. 

Tristan Do gamble did not pay off 

Marauding fullback Tristan Do returned to the nation setup and chosen to start ahead of Narubadin Weerawatnodom and Nitipong Selanon, the latter of which impressed on his competitive debut against UAE last time round. Nishino’s decision to play Do is understandable considering there was no out-and-out winger in the starting XI to provide width, hence the attacking-minded Do was selected to provide said quality.

However, with Thailand unable to keep possession, Do had no time to make his runs forward thus unable to fulfill his tactical duty. Not only that, but the Bangkok United right-back were often defeated in his duels especially in the opening ten minutes where he must have been dribbled past by Safawi Rasid at least twice.

Disastrous debut from Elias Dolah

After a successful campaign with Port FC, Elias Dolah finally started in the first XI for Thailand - something the supporters have been clamoring for all season. Sadly, it was not a competitive debut to remember for the towering center-back. 

Dolah was expected to provide more solid protection compared to Tabanoon Kesarat who he replaced. However, Dolah failed to deal with the pace and flair of Syafiq Ahmad and co. The Thai-Swedish defender's ball-playing ability was also a massive let down, and there were many obvious communication errors during his first-time partnering with Manuel Bihr in the heart of the defense.

Perhaps with time the, Elias Dolah and Manuel Bihr partnership could work but it’s safe to say Dolah will likely return to the bench against Vietnam.  

Chanathip still waiting for a good game under Nishino

Chanathip Songkrasin, Consadole Sapporo’s MVP and a member of the J.League 2018 Best XI, holds to key to Thailand’s success. When Jay plays well, Thailand wins. Simple as that.

Unfortunately, the attacking midfielder is yet to shine under Akira Nishino. There were a couple of tricks and flicks against Vietnam and Indonesia to get fans off their feet. However, it still seems as if Chanathip is struggling to assert his influence on the game. Players in Chanathip’s position rely heavily on their understanding with the teammates around them. Maybe more games with the likes of Supachok and Ekanit would improve Chanathip’s game and Thailand’s attacking flow as a whole. Chanathip’s link-up play with Ekanit is a small taste of how lethal this attacking line can be but at its current state, still far from full potential.

Nonetheless, time to adapt and adjust ones game is limited on the international level. Nishino needs to quickly find the right players to bring out the best in Chanathip - dropping the Consadole star is not an option. 

The Tiger’s den claim its prey yet again

Playing in front of a full-house Bukit Jalil is never an easy task, especially for the War Elephants, whose last victory in Malaysia is 39 years ago. And if we were to only count World Cup Qualifiers then it’s three winless games - two draws and one defeat - at the Bukit Jalil for Thailand.

At the end of 2018, Milovan Rajevac’s men held out a nil-nil draw against Tan Cheng Hoe’s Malaysian side, which would later knock Thailand out of the AFF Championships and finished runners-up behind Vietnam. Rajevac opted for a safety-first approach, a true testament to the strength of the current Harimau Malaya’s squad and their quality on home soil. On Thursday night, Akira Nishino’s side was slightly more attacking which might partly be down to Group G remaining in the balance. 

The vibe created by the fans surely played some, if not a big part, in Syamer Kutty's run that led to the equalizer. The same goes for Mohamadou Sumareh’s winner. Would the Thai defense drop so deep into their own penalty box is the stadium was dead silent? I think not.