Mr. Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul wants Thailand to win the Southeast Asian U23 Championship - Photo: FAT
Thailand U23 head coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul (nicknamed Coach Wang) has been very open about the "War Elephants'" preparations for the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship in Indonesia.
He affirmed his clear objective: to win the championship to reclaim Thailand's football position in the region. He also considered this a crucial stepping stone towards the Asian arena.
"Currently, the team's preparation is almost 100%. We've been training for 4-5 days and had a friendly match against Police Tero. This match helped the players better understand the tactics, especially when facing a team that uses three defenders," Coach Wang said.
According to Siamsport, he also revealed that the team arriving in Indonesia four days early was an advantage given the limited preparation time for the tournament.
Coach Wang affirmed that he received good cooperation from the coaches at the club. He also revealed a conversation with former Thailand national team coach, Charnwit Phalajivin:
"Coach Charnwit said that young Thai players have good individual skills. What we need to do is set up a framework so they can play freely, without restricting their abilities too much. I completely agree and will try to build a system that allows them to show their full potential."
The head coach of the Thailand U23 team also expressed confidence when speaking about their direct rivals in the tournament: "Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia are teams of a similar level to ours. If we get through the group stage, I will have more information about them. I believe my team has a chance to win. The only goal is to win the Southeast Asian championship."
At the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship, Thailand is in a relatively easy Group C, facing only Myanmar and Timor Leste.
The 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship will take place from July 15 to 29 in Indonesia, featuring 10 teams divided into 3 groups. The teams will play a round-robin format, with the top 3 group winners and the best-performing second-placed team advancing to the semi-finals.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thai-lan-quyet-doi-lai-vi-the-anh-ca-tai-dong-nam-a-20250715092031362.htm
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