Thailand U22 has only revealed its 'strength' off the field so far.

Thailand U22 is too strong compared to the other teams in Group A.

In the last two editions, Thailand had to settle for the silver medal with regret. Therefore, in this year's Games, the Thais began to assert their power not only on the field but also through off-field decisions to pave the smoothest path to the final.

Only reveal your hand outside the field.

Right from the organizational stage, Thailand raised many questions. Instead of the usual two groups, the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games was unexpectedly divided into three groups, an uncommon approach that carries many potential drawbacks.

If Vietnam hadn't played fairly, competed seriously, and defeated Malaysia in the final match of Group B, Indonesia and Myanmar would have been at risk of being eliminated after just one match. This is a bizarre situation that only an illogical tournament structure could create.

The advantage for the host nation is further demonstrated by the fact that Group A, Thailand's group, initially had only three teams, while Group C had four teams, meaning Thailand's potential rivals had to play more matches, expend more energy, and still compete directly against each other.

The strange draw also placed the two weakest teams from each seeded group, Cambodia and Timor Leste, in the same Group A as Thailand, while Group C was filled with stronger teams. When Cambodia withdrew due to security concerns, Thailand found it even easier to rearrange things: instead of redrawing, they conveniently moved Singapore, the weakest team in Group C, to Group A to maintain their advantage.

The match schedule was also arranged to maximize the home advantage. Although Thailand is in Group A, they play their final matches after Group B has already concluded. This opens up the possibility for them to observe potential opponents and then choose a suitable approach to target their preferred opponent in the semi-finals.

According to the format, Thailand's opponent would be the best-performing second-placed team, while the other two group winners would face each other. Only if the best-performing second-placed team were in Group A would Thailand have to face the winner of Group C, which, according to the original plan, would require three group stage matches, significantly more strenuous before facing the host nation.

Overall, Thailand hasn't needed to showcase anything on the field to already create significant advantages off the field. And their regional rivals understand that very well.

Thailand U22 only needed the first 10 minutes of the second half to defeat Singapore.

No tactics revealed on the field yet.

Thanks to a "favorably designed" group structure, Thailand advanced through the group stage without needing to use their full strength. In their opening match, they beat Timor Leste 6-1, taking the lead at the end of the first half before scoring five goals in the second half, and conceding a consolation goal in injury time.

In their second match against Singapore, Thailand again struggled in the first half, but only needed the first ten minutes of the second half to score three goals and secure a 3-0 victory. Both opponents were so weak that Thailand didn't need to exert themselves, playing a relaxed style in the first half before accelerating slightly to settle the match at the beginning of the second half. It's clear they didn't need to showcase their key attacking strategies.

It's worth remembering that Thailand has called up 50 players to prepare for this SEA Games, training for a month before the tournament. With such a large squad and ample preparation time, it's clear they are holding back many tactical cards, saving them for truly strong opponents.

In the group stage, Thailand only needed to operate their basic tactics, experiment with personnel, and retain key players, because they certainly knew that their true strength would only be revealed when they entered the knockout rounds.

Therefore, what Vietnamese fans are watching is not Thailand's easy victories against weaker teams, but rather a display of strength when they face Indonesia, the team most likely waiting in the semi-finals. Only then will Thailand truly reveal their tactics and the region will see the host nation's true face. This is also an opportunity to accurately assess how strong they are, and how Vietnam, if they reach the final, will need to prepare.

Thailand is on a smooth path of its own choosing, but the real challenges are only just beginning. Only when they face a truly formidable opponent will we know whether Thailand's strength is genuine or simply a result of pre-arranged advantages off the field.

Source: https://znews.vn/u22-thai-lan-moi-chi-lo-suc-manh-ngoai-san-post1610616.html