Kiatisuk summons 'Thai Ronaldo' to the national team, determined to win the 2016 AFF Cup.
(Baonghean.vn) - On October 25th, the Football Association of Thailand unexpectedly announced that coach Kiatisak had called up four additional players, notably Charyl Chappuis – the player dubbed "Thailand's C. Ronaldo".
Before entering the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region, many reports suggested that Thailand would only use a second-string team to participate in the 2018 AFF Cup.
Currently, having lost four consecutive matches in the qualifiers and with almost no hope left in the world-class competition, coach Kiatisak and his team are forced to focus all their efforts on the 2016 AFF Cup – a tournament in which they are the defending champions.
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| The Thai national team completely changed their standard plan for the 2016 AFF Cup by adding four players, both young and experienced, before selecting the final 23-man squad. |
This was further confirmed when coach Kiatisak recently called up four more players, including: defender Nattapon Malapun (born in 1994) currently playing for Chonburi FC, 21-year-old striker Chenrop Samphaodi from BEC Tero Sasana FC, and veteran midfielder Siwapong Jarernsin (born in 1985) currently playing for Chonburi FC.
And notably, midfielder Charyl Chappuis has returned, a player who previously played for the Swiss U15-U20 teams before winning the SEA Games and the AFF Cup with the Thai U23 team in 2014. Prior to this, the player dubbed "Thai Ronaldo" was not called up by the Thai national team coach due to not having fully recovered from injury.
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| The return of midfielder Charyl Chappuis – a standout player for the Thai national team in recent years – will be a cause for concern for any opponent, including the Vietnamese national team. |
Among the previously registered 23 players, there are still notable names such as striker Dangda currently playing in Spain, veteran Adul Lahsoh, and especially "Thai Messi" - Chanathip Songkrasin.
In addition, Vietnamese-born defender Tristan Do is also included in this list. The absences that leave coach Kiatisak with regret include Adisak Kraisorn, who is suffering from a long-term injury. At the same time, the Thai national team is gradually rejuvenating, having dropped quite a few veterans after the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
With the unexpected addition of four players, the official squad for the 2016 AFF Cup for the Thai national team will see significant changes. In the 2016 AFF Cup, Thailand is in Group A, which also includes the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia.
It's safe to say that Thailand bringing their strongest squad to the Philippines is not good news for the other teams in their group, and even for the Vietnamese national team in Group B.
The 2016 AFF Cup finals will take place from November 19th to December 17th. The Philippines and Myanmar will co-host the group stage. In the group stage, teams will play a round-robin format to determine the top two teams that advance to the semi-finals. From the semi-finals onwards, teams will play in a home and away format.
Thailand national team roster: Goalkeeper: Sinthaweechai Hatairattanakool, Kawin Thamsatchanan, Chanin Sae Ear, Defenders: Theerathon Bunmathan, Tanaboon Kesarat, Narubadin Weerawatnodom, Peerapat Notchaiya, Pratum Chuthong, Tristan Do, Adison Promrak, Koravit Namwiset, Nattapon Malapun. Midfielders: Adul Lahsoh, Chanathip Songkrasin, Kroekrit Thaweekarn, Sarach Yooyen, Mongkol Tossakrai, Pokklaw Anan, Sarawut Masuk, Prakit Deeprom, Rungrath Poomchantuek, Siwapong Jarernsin, Charyl Chappuis. Forwards: Teerasil Dangda, Tana Chanabut, Siroch Chatthong, Chenrop Samphaodi. |
Trung Kien
