Thailand coach: 'Vietnam is the strongest in the Southeast Asian U23 tournament'
"Vietnam is the strongest team in this year's tournament," Mr. Issara told MetaSports on the evening of August 21. "They won the tournament last time, and can also play very well at this year's tournament. The Thai coaching board will look carefully at every detail to find the right countermeasures if it meets Vietnam. We'll wait and see what happens. What will happen on the field?
Coach Issara once led Thailand U22 to the final of the 32nd SEA Games, drew Indonesia 2-2 but lost 2-5 in extra time, with a fight incident with the opponent. He then continued to be assigned by the Thai Football Federation to lead the U23 team to attend U23 Southeast Asia - the tournament where the Golden Temple team lost to Vietnam in the final a year ago.
At home, Thailand showed outstanding strength when consecutively defeating Myanmar, Brunei and Cambodia, winning all 9 points, scoring eight goals and clean sheets, topping Group A when entering the semi-finals. Thailand's next opponent will be the runner-up with the best performance among the runners-up in three groups. It could be Indonesia, or Vietnam if coach Hoang Anh Tuan's army lost to the Philippines by a distance of no more than three goals in the last match of Group C today 22/8.
"At this time, we do not know exactly whether we will meet Indonesia or Vietnam. We cannot make a judgment about which opponent is more difficult to play. But in football, if you want to win the championship, you must defeat the strongest opponent," added Mr. Issara.
Coach Issara once led the Thailand U19 team and lost to Vietnam in 2019. He said that most of the U19 players that year played for the current U23 team, so he was familiar with both Thai and Vietnamese players. When asked which player was the most impressive on the Vietnamese side, Mr. Issara smiled and said: "There are too many players, so I don't remember the names. I'm sorry."
Coach Issara is expected to go with his assistants to Rayong Stadium to watch the match between Vietnam and the Philippines today, August 22.
In the opening match of Group C, Vietnam beat Laos 4-1. If they do not lose in the second series, the team will enter the semi-finals as the winner of Group C, meeting the winner of Group B, Malaysia. In the case of losing with a difference of no more than three goals, Vietnam still won the right to continue with the best second place in three groups, meeting Thailand in the semi-finals.
