Inside Coach Aem's strategy: How the Laos team managed to overturn and defeat Barcelona
Coach Aem Anithat Pannawi, a Thai coach, before leading the Laos team to victory over Barcelona, coached at Pitchayabundit School in Thailand. There, he led the school to the 18-and-under championship of the Department of Physical Education and several other major tournaments, also developing players like Thanawut Phochai and Peeranut Buakrai who made it to the Thai national team.
Coach Aem is a coach who understands how to develop youth football, but when the time came, he sought a new challenge and took charge of Mazda GB in Laos.
The match that made his name resonate widely across social media was leading the team to a 3-2 victory over Barcelona to claim the 2026 Junior World Soccer Challenge title in Japan.
But did you know that in this game, Mazda GB from Laos trailed Barcelona 2-0 at halftime? What enabled them to come back and win 3-2 so impressively?
Coach Aem revealed, "At first, I thought we might not be able to match them. This Barcelona squad is really skilled, with excellent individual technique. They try to play one- or two-touch football, constantly moving... But eventually, we thought about how we could win. At halftime, down 2-0, we adjusted our tactics. Initially, we pressed high but couldn't win the ball; there was a large gap between our forwards and midfielders. So, we changed our approach: we moved one midfielder up to press, creating a two-man press in the middle and two on the sides—four players pressing one-on-one at the top. This allowed the goalkeeper to distribute the ball, and we could regain possession in midfield. In the end, it worked."
"Regarding psychology, I motivated the kids by asking, 'Do you want to beat Barcelona? Do you want to have your own story? Do you want to be champions?' Young players today require a different approach—we can't use the harsh methods from the past. We must learn to mix praise and constructive criticism."
On the issue raised about the Laos players supposedly "age cheating," he responded that "this is definitely not true."
Coach Aem explained that Laos, being a country with difficult access to some districts, might have players who start late. In the past, there may have been age fraud—not only in Laos but also in Thailand. However, Mazda GB does not engage in any age cheating. This can be verified, as they have continuously competed in Thailand over recent years. He affirmed that he knows what he is doing and confirms no cheating whatsoever.
Regarding the future of this group of players who defeated Barcelona, Coach Aem concluded, "I cannot say yet what will happen with this team, but we will do our best today."
Congratulations again to Mazda GB from Laos! We hope these players will one day achieve the goals they have set for themselves...