A Thai coach lost his job on Sunday after a defeat by Malaysia in an AFC Under-19 match in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
And tomorrow, another Thai team face Malaysia in a World Cup qualifier at Bukit Jalil. But different is the script this time.
Two days ago, Thailand coach Issara Sritaro resigned and took responsibility for his team’s 1-0 loss to Malaysia and their failure to qualify for the AFC Under-19 finals in Uzbekistan next year.
But at senior level, it’s a different story. Akira Nishino, the coach of the Thailand team, is flying high. His men are top of Group G in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers while Malaysia are languishing in fourth.
Nishino’s team became the talk of the town after Thailand shocked Middle East big guns United Arab Emirates 2-1 in a group match last month while Malaysia fell 1-0 to Vietnam.
Despite Malaysia ousting Thailand in last year’s AFF Cup semi-finals (on goal difference), Tan Cheng Hoe knows things have changed.
It’s not only that Thailand are ranked World 109, so far ahead of World 158 Malaysia, but the War Elephants are a different composition now.
Cheng Hoe admitted just as much as he said: “This year Thailand have a different team and different coach compared to the AFF Cup.
‘They have Japan’s World Cup coach (Nishino who came in July), and he has retained about only 10 per cent of the (AFF Cup) squad. They have better quality now and are better prepared.
‘The way they play has also changed. They look sharper, quicker and more motivated because this is a new set of players.’
However, Malaysia also look stronger now with the inclusions of Brendan Gan, Aidil Zafuan, Matthew Davies, Nor Azam Azih and Syafiq Ahmad.
The last time Harimau Malaya battled the War Elephants at Bukit Jalil, nobody got hurt as it was 0-0 (first leg of the AFF Cup semi-finals).
Though Thailand, ranked 49 spots higher than Malaysia in world ranking, will start as favourites tomorrow, the hosts can’t even afford a draw. Cheng Hoe’s men need a victory to revive their fading World Cup qualification hopes.
The recent 1-0 win against World No 116 Tajikistan should serve as a timely reminder to Harimau Malaya that rankings do not reflect the true strength of the teams.
A Thai-phoon may be blowing but Cheng Hoe’s boys have what it takes to knock the wind out of them.