Head coach of the Thai national football team, Masatada Ishii, has declared that he is not concerned with winning or losing in the upcoming friendly match against Vietnam. Instead, his priority is to provide opportunities for young players to showcase their talents. The Thai national team values the friendly tournament organized by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) during the FIFA Days in September. According to the schedule, Thailand will face Russia on September 7, followed by a highly anticipated match against the host nation Vietnam on September 10 at the My Dinh National Stadium.
In a recent press statement, Ishii emphasized that the primary goal for Thailand in these matches, particularly against their regional rivals Vietnam, is to assess player performance and experiment with new talents.
“Facing Russia and Vietnam are good challenges, but Thailand needs to focus on itself. I aim to ensure that our players grasp the tactical aspects and demonstrate their best potential. I want to assess the players’ form and test young talents. We do not have specific goals concerning the results of this tournament,” the Japanese coach stated.
“Both of our opponents, Vietnam and Russia, are strong and challenging, making it difficult to secure good results against them. However, Thailand will bring a squad featuring many young players to face these formidable opponents,” Ishii added.
Despite these comments, Thai media reports suggest that Ishii has largely assembled the strongest possible squad for the upcoming matches. Almost all players currently playing abroad have been called back to prepare for the tournament in Vietnam. Special attention has been given to the injury status of team captain Theerathon Bunmathan, who missed Buriram United’s 1-2 loss to CAHN in the first round of the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship due to injury concerns.
While Ishii may include young players, they are likely to see action primarily in the match against Russia, providing them with experience and exposure. The friendly match against Vietnam, however, is expected to carry a more competitive edge due to the historical rivalry between the two teams. Although Thailand does not prioritize the result against Russia, a victory against Vietnam would be highly desirable, especially on the latter’s home turf, where both teams have consistently seen each other as arch-rivals in the region.
Historically, even in friendly matches, Thailand has never underestimated Vietnam, their number one competitor in Southeast Asia. The Thai team has only lost to Vietnam once, at the King’s Cup in 2019. In official tournaments, Thailand has never been defeated by Vietnam, even during Vietnam’s peak under coach Park Hang-seo.
The upcoming match against Vietnam will serve as a crucial warm-up for Thailand ahead of the AFF Cup 2024, with a victory potentially boosting their confidence to defend their championship title. A loss, on the other hand, could have significant implications for Ishii’s squad.
On the other side, Vietnam’s head coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are equally eager to secure a win against Thailand. For Vietnam, this is a matter of pride and an opportunity for star player Quang Hai and his teammates to regain trust and re-establish their dominance in Southeast Asian football, following a period of struggles under the previous coach, Philippe Troussier.
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