Thailand's Kiatisak Warns His Players Against Being Complacent

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa BANGKOK, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Thailand national coach Kiatisak Senamuang warned his players against being complacent as he looks forward to steer the team into defending the AFF Suzuki Cup that was won two years ago. Thailand, fresh from securing their first point in the Asian World Cup Qualifying Round several days ago, will begin their campaign in the regional championship against Indonesia in Manila on Saturday. "Our target is to win the title but we can ill afford to be overconfident. We must give it our all in every game. All the lads have a good understanding of our tactics after training for the past two weeks," he told the local media before departing to the Philippines, here. The 43-year old former national striker said the championship represent another opportunity for him and the squad to put a smile back on the faces of the Thai people who had recently lost their beloved and revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thailand, along with Singapore are the most successful teams in the history of the championship with four titles won between them. For this year's edition, Kiatisak's squad have been drawn with Singapore, Indonesia and host Philippines while Myanmar will host another group featuring 2014 finalist Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia. According to him, this year's team is a mix between old and new faces as he inducted several rising stars into the squad, while at the same time retaining the old guards. He said the team would revert to the old and tested tactic of four defenders, though the three-man defence format managed to secure a point for the team during their match against Australia in the World Cup Qualifier. "Against ASEAN opponents, we will play either 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, the two formations with which we are more familiar. We could be more efficient both offensively and defensively," said the coach. --BERNAMA