The Thai national team probables have been told to curb their attacking instincts and concentrate on retaining possession of the ball instead.
Zoran Jankovic, assistant to Thailand's new coach Milovan Rajevac, told reporters after a 5-0 victory over Rayong in a warm-up game on Thursday night that emphasis is now on avoiding mistakes.
The Thai national team probables -- minus those from SCG Maung Thong United and Chiang Rai United -- are currently training at Kiarti Thanee Country Club in preparation for a friendly match with Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Tuesday. A week later, the War Elephants will take on the United Arab Emirates in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Bangkok.
Jankovic said: "We were not interested in the result of this warm-up match. We played this game to plan our tactics for future assignments. We wanted the players to understand our plans, which is the most important thing.
"We are not Brazil or Germany. We don't have any special players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. But we are the Thai national team. We must know our potential to be able to take on teams who are at a higher level than us.
"We want the players to play as a team, doing everything together. This is what we will need when facing those who are ranked higher than our team. This is the model that we want the players to follow."
Jankovic added: "We don't want the players to be too keen on attacking. We want every player to slow down and play it safe, making less mistakes and controlling the ball for as long as possible.
"In today's warm-up, the players kept going back to the high-paced game they are used to playing. We don't have much time and it is difficult to change things around quickly."
Sukhothai victorious
Sukhothai claimed a 2-0 victory over Police Tero in a Thai League 1 match on Thursday night.
Diouf Bireme scored both goals for Sukhothai, finding the net in the 57th and 84th minutes.
The match was originally scheduled to be played on May 17 but was postponed because of flooding at Sukhothai's Thung Thalay Luang Satdium.
Sukhothai moved to 15th place on the league table with 15 points, while Police Tero retained 10th spot with 23 points.
Meanwhile, Navy have decided to release German player Bjorn Lindermann after a spate of poor performances and injuries.
Thai-Swiss midfielder Charyl Chappuis, who will not be renewing his contract with Thai League 1 club Suphanburi, has yet to nail a deal with another club.
Chiang Rai president Mitti Tiyapairat indicated that his team were interested in the player but added: "The negotiations between Chappuis and Muang Thong have failed, so we will be weighing up all options before making a decision in this regard."
Muang Thong have signed four players for the second half of the season which begins on June 17.
They are Heberty Fernandes, Siroch Chatthong, Prakit Deeprom and Leandro Assumpcao.