Rakphol Sainetngam reveals the inside story of coaching Thailand's national futsal team despite receiving offers from 3-4 clubs, drawing comparisons to Pupis and Miguel Rodrigo.
On 5 Jan 2026 GMT+7, "Coach Mee" Rakphol Sainetngam opened up about leading the "War Elephants' Small Table" Thailand national futsal team despite receiving interest from 3-4 clubs wanting to hire him, linking comparisons to Pupis (Jose Maria Pazos Mendes) and Miguel Rodrigo during Thairath Sport's "Clear Sideline" program.
Coach Mee Rakphol Sainetngam explained, "Modern futsal 4-0 is a playing style focusing on movement and rotation among all four outfield players, excluding the goalkeeper, to create space, maintain possession, and attack opponents without fixed positions. This system has been played for over a decade, including the pivot position. It has been used from the start to the present. Sometimes modern futsal systems change every five minutes, which is now considered normal."
"I believe fitness is crucial in modern futsal. For example, at the 2025 SEA Games, Thailand lost 1-6 to Indonesia partly due to fitness and playing style. Miguel Rodrigo also uses a modern futsal system at the global level. In this era, success is hard without good defense. For instance, Jimbee Cartagena, with Muhammad Ousman Souza, recently won a championship emphasizing defense and fitness. All teams play the 4-0 system, including the pivot, but with varying tactical details."
"For me, coaching Thailand's national team this time will not be like Chonburi's past approach because the players differ. We cannot fully adopt Pupis's (Jose Maria Pazos Mendes) or Miguel Rodrigo's style. I need time to assess the players' strengths and weaknesses before setting a new direction. Although time is limited, we will plan to achieve the best results."
"Actually, I had offers from 3-4 teams but chose to return to Thailand because I want to develop Thai futsal and be with my family. I also have a dream to help my country. I have a preliminary one-year contract, which is fair since we are professionals. Everything depends on performance. How long I stay depends on results. If results are good, the contract continues; if not, I won't force staying. So, everything depends on performance. I ask Thai fans to support me; I promise to give my all wholeheartedly."