After 90 minutes at Thammasat, Mr. Park and his team had the right to be satisfied and regretful, which was easily seen on the face of Thai coach Akira Nishino.
Famous Korean commentator - Mr. Jang Woon-jae shared that the Thai players are still divided and quite subjective in terms of physical preparation for this confrontation. In the final 15 minutes of the match, the frequency of breakthrough situations decreased significantly. Along with that, dribbling and duels also did not appear on the "War Elephants" side anymore.
The decline in physical strength is the main factor leading to a weak, uncompromising face of Chanathip and his teammates. Even when coach Nishino sent Supachai onto the pitch, the home team still had no plan to deploy this young talent.
In addition, when using reserve options, the unauthorized physical strength of the remaining players on the field did not help the home team implement the entire idea of the coach. Certainly, in the upcoming confrontations, Mr. Nishino will have to train the players more physically.
Is the style of play without a real striker like Spain in the 2008 - 2012 period that Nishino is applying to Thailand really effective? After the match with Vietnam, the answer is still unclear.
Thailand did not hide their intention to use a large number of midfielders to stifle the midfield. However, the home media also "dethroned" Supachai in the entire episode when Mr. Nishino took him off, not allowing him to play from the start even though the striker playing for Buriram was the only striker on the registration list.
Thailand has been somewhat successful in using this completely new style of play. Like Japan at the 2018 World Cup, giving many jumps in front of the opponent's goal requires smoothness and proficiency. The Thai players have accepted and implemented what Nishino set out but have not yet implemented it to be able to achieve success.
They took the initiative in how to hold the ball but were not prepared to face opponents who were willing to play by using their strength and one-on-one duels to break the playing style. Seeing Chanathip's explosive charge struggling in the middle of the surrounding area with the appearance of 2-3 Vietnamese players, Nishino needs to improve more.
What is the identity of Thailand's current playing style? That is something that the Golden Temple fans are very interested in after the draw with Vietnam.
If Nishino designed a "low-level Japanese" for the "War Elephants" squad, will the key players in the attack such as Supachai, Adisak or even veteran Dangda still have room to perform?
If Chanathip is the only explosive, will Nishino be able to turn him into a real "Asian Messi", enough to carry the national team?
Thai football is not lacking in young talent and is well-trained when many players are trained at Leicester City Club. However, from the young talent to the national team star, it is a long process. Besides Supachai, they currently do not have any young strikers who are confident enough to put all their trust in them, which is also the problem Nishino needs to solve.
The second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup has just begun and the draw against Vietnam is not too bad. However, upcoming opponents such as Malaysia (which defeated Thailand in the 2018 AFF Cup semi-finals), Indonesia or especially the UAE are not easy to play. If the above problems cannot be completed soon, the dream journey of Thai football will still be very bumpy.
