The quality of Thailand's squad in the two matches lost to Vietnam

(Dan Tri) - Siam Sport (Thailand) newspaper said that the Thai team that participated in the AFF Cup and lost to the Vietnamese team was only team C. However, is that really true?

For the first time in history, the Thai team lost two consecutive matches against the Vietnamese team. That made it impossible for the "War Elephants" to win the AFF Cup for the third time in a row. After the tournament, Siam Sport newspaper said that the Thai team participating in this tournament was only team C or C+, not the main team.

Chanathip Songkrasin's influence on the Thai national team's playing style over the past year is no longer the same as before (Photo: FAT).

The comment from Siam Sport clearly downplays the championship of the Vietnamese team. The question is, did Thailand actually use the C team to participate in this tournament? The answer is obviously no.

The Thai newspaper cited the reason that "War Elephants" could not summon a series of faces such as Theerathon Bunmathan (34 years old), Chanathip Songkrasin (31 years old), Sarach Yooyen (32 years old), Teerasil Dangda (36 years old) or Supachai Chaided (26 years old) to attend this tournament.

However, it should be noted that most of the key players of the Thai national team in recent years have passed the age of 30 and are no longer at their peak. A typical example is Chanathip Songkrasin. This player has suffered from constant injuries in recent years.

In 2024, "Thai Messi" will only play for the national team in 5 matches, including 3 matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers (2 matches against Korea, 1 match against Singapore) and 2 matches in the King's Cup (Philippines and Syria).

In an important tournament like the 2023 Asian Cup (taking place in early 2024), Chanathip Songkrasin is absent due to injury. This midfielder has long lost his influence in Thailand. Coach Masatada Ishii has also gradually removed Chanathip Songkrasin from his plans.

Similarly, Theerathon Bunmathan has not appeared in the Thai squad since the match against Singapore in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June. Obviously, after that tournament, the Japanese coach gradually replaced Theerathon Bunmathan with a younger face.

Even the youngest player on this list, Supachai Chaided, has not appeared since the King's Cup. In the 2024 AFF Cup, coach Masatada Ishii proactively chose the younger and stronger naturalized player Patrik Gustavsson to replace him.

The Thai squad that will meet Vietnam in the final of the 2024 AFF Cup will have 80% of their original strength (Photo: Huong Duong).

Based on the last match Thailand fielded a strong squad in the King's Cup final in October, 7/11 of the "War Elephants" starting players will participate in the AFF Cup 2024.

In fact, the Thai national championship has been suspended during the AFF Cup 2024. Only a few clubs such as Buriram United, Muangthong United, BG Pathum or Bangkok United have played make-up matches or participated in the national cup.

Madam Pang herself also used her influence to convince foreign clubs to release players such as Ekanit Panya (Urawa Red Diamonds, Japan), Supachok Sarachat (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Japan) and Nicholas Mickelson (Odense Boldklub, Denmark).

The Thai team participating in the AFF Cup 2024 has 6 "Thai-born" players: James Beresford, Jonathan Khemdee, Nicholas Mickelson, Ben Davis, William Weidersjo and Patrik Gustavsson.

Perhaps, the "War Elephants" only have a few faces that are not called up to the national team because the club does not release them such as Kritsada Kaman, Sarach Yooyen (Pathum United), Elias Dolah (Bali United), Jaroensak Wonggorn (Cerezo Osaka).

Of course, Thailand cannot expect to call up all of its strongest players because any team has such absences. It should be emphasized that their squad for the 2024 AFF Cup is the strongest they can call up. The President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), Madam Pang, has a great ambition to win the AFF Cup, not just want the team to participate for fun.

The fact that the Vietnamese team defeated Thailand twice is a good sign. It shows that coach Kim Sang Sik's team is gradually improving and can completely compete with Thailand on an equal footing.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/chat-luong-doi-hinh-thai-lan-o-hai-tran-thua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-20250110162810213.htm