Thais want to honour late king with Suzuki Cup victory

MANILA — Boasting arguably the most technically-proficient squad at this year’s Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, defending champions Thailand are once again odds-on favourites to retain the title.

Talent aside, perhaps the biggest factor in the War Elephants’ Suzuki Cup quest will be their determination to succeed in order to honour their late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last month.

Indeed, it was this desire that galvanised the Thais to battle to a credible 2-2 draw against Australia on Tuesday as they earned their first point in the World Cup qualifiers.

And Thai head coach Kiatisuk Senamuang warned his tournament rivals that his players are eager to ensure that they take home the Suzuki Cup once again as a fitting tribute to King Bhumibol’s memory.

“The King has often watched our games when we played and given us encouragement,” Kiatisuk said during yesterday’s media conference. “He has always given us encouragement and that helped us to be champions in 2014. So this year, we want to honour his memory by winning the tournament again.”

The first team to take on Thailand at the tournament will be Indonesia, who are coming back from international wilderness following the lifting of a Fifa ban earlier this year.

Despite Indonesia’s lack of competitive matches over the past year, Kiatisuk believes they will prove to be formidable opponents.

“Every game against Indonesia is a hard game, because they usually have a strong team,” said the 43-year-old former star striker, whose illustrious career saw him play for England’s Huddersfield Town and S.League’s SAFFC.

“They may have the suspension problem with Fifa previously, but now they’re back and they’ve looked dangerous in their recent friendlies.”

While the Thais are aiming to be champions, Kiatisuk wants his players to not think too far ahead.

“We’re not thinking about the semis or the finals yet. All we’re thinking of is getting through the group stage first,” he said.

“Our goal is to be champions, but we always have to focus on the immediate game ahead of us, and right now, that’s Indonesia.”

Indonesian head coach Alfred Riedl was candid when asked his target for his team’s clash against the Thais. “Our target? Not to lose,” said Riedl with a grin. “But perhaps facing the tournament favourites is not ideal for a team like Indonesia at the moment because we’re coming back from an international ban.

“Yes, the Thais may have just played against Australia on Tuesday, but we don’t believe they’ll be tired out because they’re professionals. The Thais are clear favourites, but we’ll still do our best and hope to secure a positive result against them.”