Thailand face tough task to revive hopes

ON THE Ball

Thailand's task to reach the Asian Cup finals has become more difficult after they lost 1-0 at home to Singapore last Wednesday and Jordan beat Iran by the same scoreline on Sunday in their qualifying group.

After four games, Group E is now wide open. Iran have seven points, Singapore six, Thailand five and Jordan four. The top two teams from each of the five qualifying groups advance to the 2011 finals in Qatar.

Thailand secured a 3-1 win in Singapore. But when the Thais played at their Rajamangala National Stadium last Wednesday, they surprisingly lost 1-0 to the Lions.

Serbian-born Aleksandar Duric headed home the winner after blunders by Thailand's defenders and stand-in goal-keeper Kittisak Rawangpa.

Although Thailand had several good chances, they failed to convert them into an equaliser. On the other hand, Singapore also squandered a number of opportunities.

What happened to the Thai team after an impressive performance in Singapore?

I think it was partly because of the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Sinthaweechai (formerly Kosin) Hathairattanakool, defender Natthaphong Samana and midfielder Surat Sukha. Sinthaweechai and Natthaphong were suspended while Surat had been injured.

Their replacements - Kittisak, defender Rangsan Vivatchaichok and midfielder Nirut Surasiang - all had an off-day.

Kittisak looked unconvincing and was out-muscled by Duric. Rangsan is slower than Natthaphong, while Nirut is probably too old for this level.

Thailand's best players on the night were probably forward Teerathep Winothai and midfielder Therdsak Chaiman who both came off the bench in the second half.

Teerathep played on the left and created many chances for his teammates but they failed to send the ball into the back of the net.

Therdsak, 36, almost scored right after getting on the pitch and caused trouble for Singapore's defence.

The match was Bryan Robson's second competitive game as Thailand coach. The former England captain still has a lot to learn about his players and football in this part of the world.

He took over the Thailand job last month and could only see one Thai Premier League match. He still has to rely on information from his assistant Steve Darby.

Thailand will next host Jordan on Jan 6 and travel to Iran on March 3, while Singapore will receive Iran and visit Jordan.

Thailand will be without captain Datsakorn Thonglao for the Jordan game through suspension. Thailand, under previous coach Peter Reid, drew 0-0 in Jordan.

Thailand must get results against Jordan and Iran if they want to go to Qatar. Robson and his players must work harder to earn a ticket to the finals.

Thailand will now shift their focus to the SEA Games in Laos. They will be looking for their ninth consecutive triumph in the biennial event.

The SEA Games football tournament is for under-23 players and the Thai team are coached by Darby.

With a considerable number of full national players in the under-23 side, the full national team will resume training on Dec 26 after the SEA Games ends on Dec 18.

I think the date is a bit too late. The national team, minus those in the SEA Games squad, should return to the training camp a few days earlier, say, on Dec 21.

The under-23 players should be given a break after the SEA Games and then join the full national team.

The Jordan match will take place only five days after the New Year's Day, so Robson should allow his players to enjoy themselves on Dec 31 and Jan 1 and return to the training camp on Jan 2.

The players themselves should also keep in mind that an important game is approaching so they should not celebrate the New Year too much to save their energy for the game.

Jordan have so far lost all their away games - against Iran and Singapore - in Asian Cup qualifying and I hope the record continues against Thailand.

Tor Chittinand is Bangkok Post's football writer. Email: torc@bangkokpost.co.th