Sarach: 'Vietnam often falls into traps because they are too eager to beat Thailand'

The mainstay midfielder of the Thai national team revealed the reason why he and his teammates often achieve good results in matches against Vietnam.

Sarach Yooyen (No. 6) is in the same generation as Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong... He and Thailand once defeated Vietnam in the SEA Games, World Cup qualifiers and AFF Cup. Photo: Lam Thoa.

- When talking about Vietnamese football, what is your first impression of Sarach Yooyen?

- I, as well as most of the current Thai players, have played against many Vietnamese teams and understand them well. The most special impression is that Vietnamese football always wants to defeat us. It is like the burning desire inside the fans and your fans, regardless of whether it is an official tournament or a friendly, at the youth level or the national team.

- In your opinion, how does this affect the match situation between the two teams?

- Desire is sometimes like a double-edged sword. The advantage is that it becomes the motivation for the players to fight. The disadvantage is that sometimes the desire is too much, the players will lose their will, sometimes forget the tactical intention and fall into the trap. We understand this very well so we always have tactics to put Vietnam into the trap.

- Vietnamese fans often have a "negative" feeling towards Thailand, partly because you are our toughest opponent to defeat. So what about Thai players and fans?

- When we enter the field, we always play our best and aim to win, not because we like or hate any opponent. Vietnam is just like any other opponent. Thai fans don't hate Vietnam either, they simply cheer their team on to win.

- How do you rate the level of Thai football compared to other countries in Southeast Asia?

- In recent years, Thailand has often won regional tournaments. But we do not think we are completely superior to other countries. Over time, every football team in the region has improved. The gap between teams is not as big as before.

The biggest difference is probably because we have a good training system, which regularly produces talented players. The Thai teams are also designed according to a unified playing style, so players from all over the world quickly find a common voice when they gather.

The formidable opponents of Thai football at this time are probably still Vietnam and Malaysia.

Sharing with VnExpress, Sarach Yooyen said he has no intention of playing abroad because he is trying to regain his form after a serious injury last season. Photo: Lam Thoa.

- Thailand has won many SEA Games gold medals and AFF Cup championships. How does that affect the motivation of you and your teammates at the beginning of these tournaments?

- Thailand's biggest goal right now is to qualify for the World Cup finals. However, to achieve this, we must maintain our foundation in Southeast Asian competitions. Every time we compete in the SEA Games or AFF Cup, Thailand has only one goal and must achieve it, which is to win the championship.

- Recently, Thailand reached the final qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup – Asia region, but failed. What do you think is the reason?

- Firstly, the physical condition of Thailand as well as other countries in the Southeast Asian region is still inferior to opponents such as Japan, Korea or Australia. In terms of physical condition, when training we are very good, strong enough to play for 90 minutes. However, when facing opponents with superior physical condition, good tactics and having to compete a lot, we often run out of energy at the end of the match, leading to mistakes in defensive organization.

The second is the problem of concentration. In many matches we played on par with the top teams in Asia, but just one minute of carelessness was punished, and the match turned in a different direction.

- What do you think about the fact that coach Kiatisuk had to resign after failing in the World Cup qualifiers, and the team switched to using a foreign coach?

- I appreciate coach Kiatisuk, and I regret not working with him on the national team anymore. Switching to foreign coaches is normal in Thailand. Both domestic and foreign coaches have their own strengths.For example, Kiatisuk has the advantage of understanding Thai players, having experience playing for the national team, and knowing how to inspire his players. But foreign coaches have different tactics or the ability to do good psychological warfare, and handle situations on the field effectively.

- Sarach predicts when Thailand can fulfill its dream of attending the World Cup?

- This is very difficult to say. We can only try to follow the roadmap. The U23 Thailand team that is about to participate in the U23 Asian Cup finals in China is very good, but they may not be able to help us win a ticket to the World Cup. But then the next young generations will grow up and continue the dream.

According to VNE