Thailand’s well-structured gameplay led to victory last night. Devastatingly, Malaysia lost against the War Elephants yesterday in the second semi-final match held in Thammasat Stadium. With the victorious three goals against nill by Thailand, the Harimau Malaya squad didn’t get a chance to face Vietnam in the finals.
Although the national team weren’t the last man standing, they still made Malaysian fans proud. Quoting Harimau Malaya’s coach, Kim Pan Gon, the team did their best and followed his directions well. They did their very best. However, Thailand defeated Malaysia with a clean win.
Why was Thailand more advantageous than Malaysia for last night’s match?
Looking into the public’s response, some discuss Thailand’s strategic gameplay that led them to victory. It’s a healthy discourse going on Twitter. Many chirped in to leave their honest opinion.
addien90 (@addien90s) shared a tweet last night while the match was still ongoing. He wrote,
“Why Thailand has a neat gameplay, passing, [game] setting, dominating the possession rate and very strategic even though they didn’t score a goal or lose. Why can’t the Malaysian team utilise a similar tactic as them? What makes Thailand different from ours? I wonder.”
Kenapa dari dulu Thailand ni main lawa, pass lawa, setting lawa, always pegang possession, gameplay & attacking dorang tersusun je walaupun maybe tak gol & kalah. Kenapa Malaysia tak boleh main macam tu ek? Apa yang buatkan Thailand berbeza? Dah lama wondering.
— addien90 (@addien90s) January 10, 2023
Quality
Generally, many Malaysians pointed out the stark difference between Harimau Malaya and War Elephants is quality.
anonymous (@anniswhoo) explained Thailand has quality players. Not only that, but they also have quality leagues, meaning every club strives for victory.
But in the Malaysian league, only one club is enthusiastic about winning. Other clubs’ only target is to win the said championship.
Picture: Twitter anonymous
Mentality
Kap Petak (@KapPetak) touched on mentality. They explained Thailand and Vietnam have a stronger mentality. Therefore, they were braver in playing one-to-one passing. Contrary to Malaysian players, they were a bit fearful when pressured.
Picture: Twitter Kap Petak
Team spirit
A few users highlighted the importance of synergy in a team. From their observation, Thailand has a more solid team than the national squad. Understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses makes it easier for the Thai team to develop synergy. Thus, the Malaysian team needs to create this connection between every player and the coach to (hopefully) bring out the best in everyone.
Even though many are disappointed with the results, let bygones be bygones. We hope this won’t break Harimau Malaya’s spirit to improve. They can be better than they already are with unrelenting hard work and patience.
Don’t give up, Malaysia! Keep moving forward!
Sources: Twitter addien90, Facebook AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup
