Thailand coach: 'Park Hang-seo is a good coach'
Although highly appreciating Vietnam, Mr. Sirisak Yodyardthai believes that the home team will win the upcoming King's Cup.
"The match between Thailand and Vietnam will be very exciting," coach Sirisak said before the training session in Buriram on the morning of June 3. "I trust my players, and I am sure Thai fans will support us wholeheartedly when the team meets Vietnam. I believe we can beat Vietnam."
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CoachSirisak Yodyardthai and players during the training session last night, June 2. |
Yesterday, the Thai team was on the same flight with Vietnam from Bangkok to Buriram to prepare for the King's Cup 2019. The two teams will meet on June 5 to compete for a ticket to the final, against the winner between Curacao and India.
Thailand is the number one football nation in Southeast Asia with five AFF Cup championships and 16 SEA Games gold medals. But over the past two years, under the guidance of coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam has risen to become the leading flag in the region with achievements such as winning the silver medal at the Asian U23 Championship, reaching the semi-finals of the Asian Games, winning the AFF Cup and reaching the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup. At the end of March, Vietnam continued to make a splash when they defeated Thailand 4-0 in the Asian U23 qualifying round.
Since taking over as Vietnam’s head coach, Mr. Park has never faced Thailand at the national team level. However, the Korean coach has won both times he met this opponent in the U23 group (M150 Cup friendly tournament and U23 Asia qualifiers).
"I know Vietnam is being led by a good coach. He was Guss Hiddink's assistant at the World Cup," Coach Sirisak added. "He will definitely turn the Vietnam team into a strong team in the future. In the past two years, they have made great progress, especially in the U23 Asian Cup and the Asian Cup. Vietnam has many good players. Therefore, fans of both countries are waiting for the upcoming match."
This training session, Thailand is missing their number one star, Chanathip Songkrasin, due to injury. However, coach Sirisak is still very confident: "I am not worried about Chanathip's situation at all. Currently, we have other midfielders who are in good form. Chanathip is of course number one, but he is just one of the options in Thailand's official squad. I have faith in my players. It's okay without Chanathip. We are strong enough to beat Vietnam."