Coach rallies her troops for crucial battle
Coach Nuengruethai Srathongvian has urged her players on the eve of Thailand’s crucial Group A battle with Jordan in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2018 to forget about their heavy defeat to China in the first game and not get unnerved by the thought of facing the hosts.
Despite their 4-0 defeat to China in the tournament opener in Amman on Friday night, the Thais remain one of the favourites to clinch a place among the top five and punch their ticket to the Fifa Women’s World Cup Finals in France next year.
Both Thailand and hosts Jordan are desperate for a win. Jordan squandered a onegoal advantage on Friday night to lose their first game 2-1 to the Philippines.
Nuengruethai is worried that her players would wilt under the pressure of playing the hosts in Amman tonight. “It is going to be a difficult game for both teams as the result of this match would have a bearing on our chances of making it to the next year’s World Cup,” said Nuengruethai.
“We suffered a big defeat to China when we were hoping to spring a surprise. We made a lot of defensive errors and conceded goals in quick succession.
“But that’s all history now. I have been telling the players to forget about that match and move on.”
Nuengruethai added she is expecting some support from the Thai nationals living in Amman. “There is a lot of pressure on my players as they face the home team. I hope they would take it as just another game and play without any pressure.
“Jordan are a very good team and they have spent almost a year on training their squad.They have also played warmup games with some of the top teams in the world.
“They have two good players. We need to be ready to ward off their counter-attacks.”
Jordan coach Michael Dickey has also been working fastidiously on improving the home team. “We just couldn’t make the plays we wanted to, and because of this result, we probably won’t win the group now,” said the American coach after his team’s loss to the Philippines.
The match between Thailand and Jordan kicks off at midnight (Thai time) and will be televised live by Channel 7.