Today, U.23 Thailand took the field, Coach Thawatchai admitted a 'harsh' truth, but...

Today (July 19), U.23 Thailand will play their first match in the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship. Facing the opponent considered the weakest in the group, U.23 Timor Leste, victory is almost in the hands of coach Thawatchai Dumrong-ongtrakul and his students.

Coach Thawatchai Dumrong-ongtrakul's first time

July 19 is the most anticipated match day of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship when the two teams that are considered capable of competing for the championship will take the field, U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Thailand. At 5:00 p.m., U.23 Vietnam will play its first match against U.23 Laos and 3 hours later, U.23 Thailand will face U.23 Timor Leste.

The match between U.23 Timor Leste and U.23 Thailand takes place at 8:00 p.m. on July 19.

According to Bangkok Post , ahead of the tournament, head coach Thawatchai Dumrong-ongtrakul of Thailand U.23 shared his thoughts on the team's chances and the factors that make him confident of success.

Coach Thawatchai admitted that this was his first time leading a team at the national level and therefore, he lacked experience in an international arena like this. However, he still expressed optimism and confidence in the players' abilities.

Coach Thawatchai Dumrong-ongtrakul of Thailand U.23

PHOTO: BANGKOK POST

"Yes, this is my first time coaching a national team, but we have players with the potential to achieve success. I am still confident about our chances in this tournament," Bangkok Post quoted coach Thawatchai as saying.

One of the important factors that helped Mr. Thawatchai feel confident was the thorough preparation of the players. Some players in the team have experience playing in international tournaments, which gives Thailand U.23 a big advantage in their journey to conquer the championship trophy.

"They have played together for a few years, so there is a good understanding between them," coach Thawatchai added.

U.23 Thailand improves defense

Despite the short preparation time before the tournament, the team is still confident. Defender Pattarapol Suksakit, a key member of the team, said the team has no injury problems.

"Currently, every player in the team is ready and healthy for the tournament. We have had enough time to rest and recover our strength for the upcoming task," Pattarapol said.

Pattarapol also stressed that one of the areas that needs improvement is the defense.

Thailand U.23 players in training session before the tournament

PHOTO: BANGKOK POST

"We need to improve our defence. In all the previous games I played, we conceded goals. It's good that we have coach Choke (assistant coach of the U.23 team) helping us. He is trying to improve our positional play, techniques like overlapping and when to make tackles," he said.

This Southeast Asian U.23 Championship is considered an important opportunity for Thailand U.23 not only to demonstrate their strength in the region but also to prepare for bigger tournaments this year such as the Asian Cup qualifiers and SEA Games.

To defend the throne, what problem do U.23 Vietnam and coach Kim Sang-sik need to solve?

"We don't have much time to practice together, but that doesn't change our goal, which is to win the cup at this tournament," coach Thawatchai affirmed.

After facing Timor Leste today, U.23 Thailand will face Myanmar in the second match on July 22, also at 8pm. Thailand is expected to easily win first place in Group C.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hom-nay-u23-thai-lan-ra-quan-hlv-thawatchai-thua-nhan-mot-su-that-phu-phang-nhung-185250717180946686.htm