Bringing the U21 team to Vietnam, the coach of the Thai team still declared that they will win the Southeast Asian championship.

TPO - The Thai women's team has arrived in Vietnam to prepare for the opening match of the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Football Championship on August 6. Before entering the competition, coach Futoshi Ikeda declared that his team's goal is to win the championship right on Vietnamese soil.

"The first goal of participating in this tournament is to develop the team and improve the players' skills," Mr. Futoshi Ikeda emphasized. "This tournament is for teams in the Southeast Asian region. We hope to win the championship. I would like to thank the fans who have always supported us throughout the past time. Please continue to support us."

This is a statement that shows Thailand's great confidence despite their poor performance recently. In the last 12 matches, they have only won 5 and lost 6. Many defeats have brought disappointment to this football team that has participated in the World Cup many times. Especially in the recent Asian Cup qualifiers, Thailand lost to India at home, thereby missing the finals and also losing the chance to go to the 2027 World Cup.

One of the reasons why the Thai women's team played so poorly was because they were massively rejuvenated. Like the squad participating in the ASEAN Cup 2025, Coach Ikeda brought along mostly young players, with an average age of only 21. The inexperienced squad and poor performance made Thailand face many doubts.

Coach Ikeda is facing difficulties in his plan to rejuvenate the Thai women's team.

Coach Ikeda himself admitted this weakness. He told Matichon: “The tournament does not take place during FIFA Days, so we cannot call up players who are playing abroad. Instead, we select domestic players. They are young, but they have performed well.”

Evaluating the opponents he will face, Mr. Futoshi Ikeda especially praised the host Vietnam. “Indonesia has many naturalized players playing abroad, while Cambodia has a diverse playing style. But everyone knows that Vietnam is a very strong team. They are a team with a lot of fighting spirit. We cannot be subjective and need to prepare well,” the Japanese coach emphasized.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/mang-sang-viet-nam-doi-hinh-u21-hlv-tuyen-thai-lan-van-tuyen-bo-se-vo-dich-dong-nam-a-post1766172.tpo