Tuesday, 29 September 2020 GMT+7
It was truly a joyful and fulfilling day for Thai sports fans!
Although the nation's people are suffering from widespread flooding and submersion everywhere at this time,
everyone could still smile (somewhat) at the achievements of Thai athletes at the Asian Games in Japan.
We added another 3 solid gold medals,
from the men's sepaktakraw singles team that avenged their loss by decisively beating the Malaysian Tigers in the final,
followed by a gold medal in PUBG MOBILE esports,
and capped off with a historic gold from “View” Kulwut Vitidsant,
the first Thai male badminton player to win the Asian Games men's singles gold in a grand achievement!
That was not all; in the evening, our football fans were delighted by the Thai national team’s victory in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026,
avenging their defeat against the “Golden Star” Vietnam team, the reigning ASEAN champions, with a 2-0 scoreline.
The goals came from two players who had performed consistently well in the recent Hyundai Cup ASEAN Championship,
“Jeer Tang” Sarach Yooyen, who unleashed a precise long-range shot early in the first half,
and a sealing goal during injury time in the second half from substitute Chaipol Adtan.
This puts the Thai players close to reaching the final of this FIFA tournament,
even though they still have one match left against the Philippines on Friday.
With the 2-0 victory, anyone who watched the live broadcast through natural channels like I did,
might have been somewhat frustrated with coach Anthony Hudson’s team style and tactics.
Although the national squad’s almost full-strength lineup is available,
Hudson still does not emphasize attacking or entertaining football.
He prefers players to focus on solid defense and counterattack when opportunities arise, as before.
It must be said that this Thai squad responds well to the coach’s demands.
This leaves most fans uncertain about what style Hudson truly aims to play.
Especially the striker position, which seems to be played as a false nine,
with “Sea Four” Kakhana Kamyok as the main player,
and professional forwards like Teerasil Phepymai and Jude Bell,
along with Supachai Jaided, frequently moved out wide.
In the win over Vietnam, Hudson positioned “Jay” Chanathip Songkrasin centrally and moved Kakhana to the left wing.
Overall, the performance was not bad but did not flow smoothly or reach full potential.
In summary, this is a results-driven team that does not prioritize attractive style.
They play however they must, aiming to win or at worst not lose to current opponents.
Talk of development or a future-looking attractive style is not yet considered.
The focus is simply on achieving set goals.
This style poses no problem in ASEAN competitions; when the full team is available, we can comfortably survive.
Because the potential of Thai players still exceeds that of other nations.
What is concerning is the Asian stage, where fans hope to see us raise standards beyond ASEAN,
and compete at the continental level.
Honestly, Hudson’s style still does not inspire confidence that we can entrust him with the future.
Even though he just received a contract extension from the Thai Football Association until 2028.
In fact, it might have been better if this FIFA ASEAN tournament had not been broadcast live,
because the current national team under Hudson is not suited to detailed viewing of gameplay.
It is more suitable to just hear the results… indeed!!!
- Bee Bangpakong -