It will be a battle of nerves in Indonesia: Kiatisak
National coach Kiatisak Senamuang said the match against Indonesia in front of, arguably, the most fervent supporters in the region for the first leg of Asean Football Championship final on Thursday would be a tough mental test for his players.
Defending champions Thailand had a majestic run to the final, winning all five games to match their best sequence of results going back to 2000. Up next is a tricky trip to Indonesia, who fought their way into their fifth final, the second highest number of appearances in the title match behind the Kingdom (8).
Thailand, who are tied with Singapore as the most successful country in the biennial tournament with four titles, had beaten Indonesia 4-2 in their group opener in the Philippines last month. However, former national striker Kiatisak warned his men that they would face a different kind of challenge in Thursday’s first leg.
The coach stressed that the first leg at Stadion Pakansari in Bogor and not at the intimidating Gelora Bung Karno, or better known as Gelora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta that can hold nearly 100,000 spectators, makes no difference in terms of difficulty.
Kiatisak, who had the experience of playing against Indonesia several times during his playing career, said, “They boast arguably the most fanatical fans in the region. They used to set the stadium on fire. Even though we are not playing at Senayan Stadium this time, it will be a battle of our nerves. Let’s see whether we can come through it unscathed. My gut feeling is that they will take the fight to us.”
While drawing some comfort from the fact that he was never on the losing side against Indonesia, Kiatisak cautioned his side not to make unnecessary fouls.
“If I’m not wrong, I think I never lost when we visited Indonesia despite playing at Senayan Stadium in front of around 150,000 fans. So, playing at the 40,000-capacity Pakansari Stadium, we can claim early advantage.
“Nevertheless, we need to be careful about picking cards. Even though it’s normal thing in football, we need to stay focused only on the game. We can’t take anything for granted against Indonesia. They’re strong at home so we need to stick together to come through it,” said the coach, who flew to Indonesia with his team yesterday morning.
Thailand, bidding to win a record-breaking fifth regional crown, will host the return leg on December 17.
