Thailand are preparing to host the upcoming AFC U23 Championships at an oddly uncomfortable time for the national team setup.
Things were on a high for the side after Akira Nishino hit the ground running as coach, guiding the senior team to the top of their World Cup Qualifying group by matchday four.
However, poor results against Malaysia and Vietnam have pegged them back, and the respective failures of the U16 and U19 sides to qualify for AFC Championships as well as Thailand’s sub-par performance at the SEA Games has left a sour taste.
The task of overcoming the odds to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was always going to be difficult, but doing it while fighting off the insidious air of skepticism descending on the Thai youth teams is going to be a very difficult task.
The War Elephants will be without a few players who would normally be in contention for this list.
Chiang Rai United’s Ekkanit Panya, Muangthong United’s Patcharapol Intanee, plus Port FC’s Kevin Deeomram and Buriram United’s Rattanakorn Maikami, have all been left out of the squad, mostly due to injury concerns.
Players who will be present at the tournament but narrowly miss out on our top five include Bangkok United duo Wisarut Imura and Anon Amornlerdsak, as well as Buriram United striker Supachai Jaided.
With that in mind, here are our five players to watch out for this month.
5. Jaroensak Wongkorn
Position: Right Winger/Wing Back
Age: 22
Club: Samut Prakan City
Initially struggling to attract attention as a right midfielder, Jaroensak was drafted into the Thai U23 team for the 2019 AFF U22 Championships, where Thailand sent a ‘B-team’ due to clubs refusing to release their players.
After arguably being Thailand’s standout player at the tournament, he returned to his club side, where he continued to struggle for game time. Things would change completely for Jaroensak under the guidance of coach Tetsuya Murayama, who spotted his speed and crossing ability as a reason to move him into the right wing-back role.
While adapting to the defensive side of the game has been a challenge, Jaroensak has been incredible going forward this season. His skill set has been critical to their unique style of play, and his contributions were recognised when won the club’s Player of the Year award.
However, his performance at the SEA Games were less impressive, as he struggled as a more conventional winger, without the space to invade the flanks. Making the most of Jaroensak’s unique and specific skill set will be high up on Nishino’s agenda going into the upcoming tournament.
4. Shinnaphat Lee-Oh
Position: Central Defender
Age: 22
Club: Chiang Rai United
As Thailand’s captain heading into this tournament, there will be a lot of responsibility foisted onto Shinnaphat’s shoulders.
However, the centre-back has shown no issues coping with big responsibility in the past, establishing himself as a regular for Chiang Rai United’s title winning team in 2019.
After breaking into the first team in 2017 as a 20-year-old, the defender has been an indispensable member of the Beetles starting lineup despite his youth.
Shinnaphat has grown from a slightly shaky right-back to an imposing central defender during his three years at Chiang Rai United in what has been an intriguing transformation to witness.
Despite not grabbing as many headlines as the attacking players on this list, the defender’s consistency warrants far more praise than he currently receives, and is the right pick to wear the armband for the War Elephants.
3. Suphanat Mueanta
Position: Striker
Age: 17
Club: Buriram United
The breakout star has already established himself as one of the best strikers in the country, with an instinct and eye for goal that far exceeds his years.
Despite being only 17 years old, the attacker has already made his debut for the senior team, and has looked remarkably comfortable at each new level he reaches during his meteoric rise.
His performances have drawn exceptional praise from club coach Bozidar Bandovic, who frequently affirms that the forward is regularly in the team because he is genuinely one of the club’s best and hardest-working players.
Many fans thought Buriram were pulling a stunt by calling on the 15-year-old forward for their game against Air Force Central back in 2018, but Suphanat has since repaid the faith shown in him many times over.
After being the country’s standout performer at 2019 SEA Games (despite also being the youngest member of the squad), it won’t come as a surprise if the striker is once again a hero for Thailand.
2. Ben Davis
Position: Central Midfielder
Age: 19
Club: Fulham FC (England)
A recent addition to the Thai national team setup, Ben Davis declared his interest to represent Thailand after defaulting on Singaporean national service, having played for the country at youth levels.
Born to a Thai mother and an English father, and currently in the academy at EFL Championship side Fulham, Davis is well positioned to become the first Thai player to play in the English Premier League.
Davis trained with Thailand’s U23 team during a recent international break in September, and was even invited for a few sessions with the first team. However, he was not released by Fulham for the recent SEA Games, and hasn’t had a chance to integrate with the squad yet.
Regardless, fans will be excited to see if he can make his competitive debut in Thailand colours against Bahrain in the tournament’s opening match.
1. Supachok Sarachat
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 21
Club: Buriram United
Supachok emerged from 2019 as the hottest rising talent in Thai football in what looked like, at least from a footballing perspective, a remarkable year of personal growth.
Having to cope with two sets of foreign striking duos failing to settle in Buriram, Supachok was straddled with an ungodly amount of creative and goalscoring responsibility for Thailand’s biggest side, carrying the weight of expectation on his young shoulders.
This campaign demonstrated not only his talent, but his mentality and resilience, as he took the tough situation in his stride and proceeded to become a key player for Thailand’s most successful club.
There is a reasonable argument to suggest that he is currently the best local player in the Thai League (across all age groups), and, at least to my mind, is at a level where he would fare well just about anywhere across Asia.
Coming off the season he has had for both Buriram United and the senior national team, this tournament could be a turning point in Supachok’s development.
Photos: Facebook/Changsuek
