Concern for Coach Hudson or Concern for the Thai National Team?","tags":["Thai football","Coach Hudson","Thai national team"]},{
Our hope to improve Thailand's FIFA ranking to its best in years has finally been dashed.
It has inevitably 'gone downhill,' as expected!
In the latest FIFA friendly, we managed to take a 2-0 lead against Kuwait in the first half.
But somehow, the second half was a completely different story.
The wealthy oil nation’s team adjusted and managed to equalize 2-2.
Instead of gaining points, Thailand’s score dropped by 1.37 points, falling one spot to 94th in the world.
Because of the draw with Kuwait, currently ranked 134th, Thailand’s points took a hit.
As I’ve said before, FIFA rankings don’t always accurately reflect a team’s current form.
In the case of Kuwait versus Thailand, there is a notable gap in world rankings.
Yet, on the field, the match was extremely close and competitive.
Honestly, the draw itself isn't too worrying.
What is concerning is how Coach Anthony Hudson is managing the team.
It’s unclear what approach or method he intends to use.
To truly develop the War Elephants beyond their current state.
Under Hudson’s leadership since late last year, Thailand has survived to reach the Asian Cup finals and remains unbeaten.
However, in terms of overall performance, no match has truly impressed the fans.
Worse, the team often shows weak second-half performances after decent first halves.
This inconsistency is frustrating and unpleasant to watch.
Some have even said that watching Hudson’s team is like watching Thai football in the era of Coach Mano.
Everyone had hoped this English coach would improve the War Elephants.
At the very least, we expected progress beyond what was achieved under Masatada Ishii.
Otherwise, why would the Thai Football Association under president Nualphan Lamsam take the risk of firing the Japanese coach so decisively?
Calling this a 'team trial' period is hard to justify.
Because the squad still heavily relies on experienced players in their thirties and even forties.
Nearly half the team consists of these veteran players.
In reality, the seven months before the Asian Cup should be used to test more young, emerging players in various positions.
Since the real goal lies in the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.
By then, the core of the team must inevitably be mostly a new generation of players.
Continuing to depend on older players will likely be unsustainable by that time.
Similarly, in the wing-back positions, it’s puzzling why Hudson hasn’t called up any professional left-backs.
Instead, he insists on playing right-back Suphanan Bureerat on the left side.
This clearly doesn’t work well, as it is not his natural position, making it a waste of talent.
As for introducing young attackers like Jude Bell, Erawan Ganier, and "Jao Pao" Theeraphat Prueathong in the second half, the coordination remains weak.
Each player seems to act independently with almost no teamwork or coordination.
This shouldn’t be blamed on the players, as they are following the coach’s tactics.
If there are mistakes, the coach must take full responsibility.
There is still one more friendly match left — an away game against mainland China on Tuesday evening, 9 Jun 2024 GMT+7.
Hopefully, Coach Anthony Hudson will address the weaknesses revealed in the previous match.
And help the War Elephants perform more impressively going forward.
My concerns are not just about Coach Hudson himself.
They are about the future of our Thai national team — much more than that!
- B Bangpakong -