Kiatisak ready to pounce on Syrian weakness
Play
National football team coach Kiatisak Senamuang is looking to take advantage of the questionable fitness of Syria team when the two sides meet in the semifinals of the 44th King’s Cup tournament at Rajamangala National stadium tomorrow.
The hosts will begin their campaign in the country’s prestigious event against a Syria side that lost 20 to Vietnam in a pretournament warmup on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old Kiatisak, who recently signed a one-year contract to stay in the post he has held since 2013, warned his side not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the outcome in Hanoi.
“It’s pleasing that we don’t have any injured player. Everyone is fully ready, physically and psychologically. Syria is a strong side even though they went down 20 to Vietnam.
“That result, though, does not mean that we would beat them. In my view, Syrian players still didn’t get acclimatised to the conditions and that’s one of the factors why they lost on Tuesday. However, they should feel more comfortable by the time they face us in the Cup.”
Syria’s display against the Vietnamese raised a question mark over the team’s physical condition as they looked fatigued towards the end of the game and Kiatisak hopes his men could exploit the Middle East nation’s weakness.
“From what I saw in Syria’s game against Vietnam, I spotted their weak point as most of their players looked short on fitness. That’s noticeable in the closing stages of Tuesday’s game. This would work in our favour as we’ll look to up the tempo in the latter part of the game just like we did in many games in the past.
“I’m confident we could clinch a win in the first game. I would like to exhort Thai fans to show up in great numbers at the venue. I can assure you that they won’t be disappointed.”
Thailand v Syria game will kick off at 8pm after the first semifinal tie between Jordan and UAE.
