Akira Nishino: ‘War Elephants’ to revenge ‘Harimau Malaysia’ for AFF Cup 2018 loss
(VOVWORLD) - Addressing a press conference on November 13, ahead of the Thailand-Malaysia match at World Cup 2022 Qualifiers, head coach Akira Nishino said Thailand needs to progress after each match to qualify for the next round.
After its impressive win over the strongest rival UAE in the last matchday of Group G, Thailand is now confident to conquer Malaysia in Bukit Jalil. Aiming at three points, the ‘War Elephants’ wants to revenge for its loss to ‘Harimau Malaysia’ at AFF Cup 2018.
Nishino told the pre-match conference that his team should work harder to move on.
"To qualify for the next stage, we have to look at the results of all eight games. I am not much concerned about the results of the previous matches. We have to look forward," said the Japanese, who guided his country to the last 16 round at the 2018 World Cup.
Nishino also emphasized on discipline: "I want them to interact with one another and talk to each other. We work as a team so we need rules. I am not trying to bring the Japanese culture to the Thai team. I am trying to be flexible. If they think this is inconvenient, then we can talk and consider changes," he said.
Malaysia will host Thailand at 7:45PM, November 14. Five days later, Thailand will travel to Vietnam for a replay at My Dinh stadium.