Schaefer expects midfield battle in crucial W Cup qualifier

Though bottom of the Group D with four points from five matches, the Thais can still squeeze into the final qualifying stage, with only two points separating Winfried Schaefer’s men from Saudi Arabia, who are in second place with six points.
A win in Muscat against Oman, who have five points, coupled with a Saudi loss to an alreadyqualified Australia would see Thailand through to the last10 team stage. Should the Saudis claim a point from their trip to Australia, the Thai side would need to win by at least three clear goals to secure qualification.
There is a good possibility that Schaefer’s men can pull off the win, given that their single victory to date in the campaign came against Oman in an impressive 30 triumph at home in September. However, the Thais’ buildup for the game at Bausher Sports Complex seems to have badly dented their hopes.
Thailand’s preparations have been far from ideal. Though the training camp was slated to start by the middle of this month, it was not until last week that Schaefer had the majority of his players training together in Chiang Mai. To make things worse, the squad at his disposal featured many players on weary legs following a gruelling season in the domestic league, which finished at the end of last month.
The Thai players’ then saw their chance to get acclimatised to desert conditions disappear when a planned training stint in the United Arab Emirates was scrapped. Rather than find an alternative country, the Football Association of Thailand decided to extend training in the northern province instead.
The problems did not end there for the Thais. On the day of departure to Oman, team officials forgot the passports of Buriram PEA players, including midfielders Suchao Nutnum and Jakkaphan Kaewprom, forcing them to take another flight to join the team later.
Manager Schaefer, who should be given credit for helping the Thais stay in contention, remained focused on the job at hand. The German believes the key to the success against Oman is teamwork.
“The important thing for us is teamwork as well as the strong desire to win, even though we may still need a slice of luck tomorrow. It is by no means an easy task against Oman.
“We may not have enjoyed success in the recent King’s Cup, but we had several young players break through who could help us for this game,” said Schaefer, who took over the post just before the Thai team embarked on their World Cup qualifying campaign in July.
After studying a video of Oman’s 10 win over Australia in their last outing, the veteran German used a team meeting to outline the Middle East side’s strengths and weaknesses, and singled out midfielder Fawzi Bashir Rajab as the player his charges should keep an eye on.
“Oman’s strength lies in their midfield. They were very good at creating scoring chances for the strikers against the Australians. All their chances in that game emanated from the midfield. So, the middle of the park will be the decisive battleground. I already have the first eleven in mind but will have to check on the players again before the game {before deciding the team],” said Schaefer.